Ex-Pak Army Chief says Imran Khan was dangerous for Pakistan

Dubbing Imran Khan “raw and vulgar” in private, General Bajwa claimed that during a Cabinet meeting, Khan used a vulgar Punjabi word for Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, to whom he was so courteous in public.

New Delhi, Feb 11: Imran Khan Niazi was extremely dangerous for the unity of Pakistan, according to General Qamar Javed Bajwa, who was the Army Chief when the former was the Prime Minister. The bold statement has shocked political analysts and Pakistan observers as it is well-known that it was General Bajwa who had brought in the cricketer-turned-politician through behind-the-curtains maneuvers to run the beleaguered country.

The surprising statement came when the ex-Army Chief was talking to journalist Javed Chaudhry. During the conversation, Bajwa 'revealed' the aspects of Imran Khan's abusive personality. However, this side of the former Pakistani Prime Minister is not new as he has been heard talking like that on various occasions.

General Bajwa claimed that Khan was "raw and vulgar" in private conversations. Sharing an incident, he said that during a Cabinet meeting, Khan used a vulgar Punjabi word for Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Ironically, Khan was quite cordial to the Saudi ruler as once he even drove the car for him while welcoming him.

This only shows that Imran Khan would respect someone publicly but in private, he had no regard for any leader. Additionally, this is also an indication that Khan was interested just in Saudi aid and loans that could help his country going through a deep economic crisis. The 'revelation' from Bajwa may not be taken well by the Saudi government.

Rift between Bajwa and Khan

Although there is no doubt that General Bajwa as Army Chief had supported Imran Khan, there was a rift between the two soon after the formation of the government. In April last year, Khan had lambasted the Pakistani Army Chief for his ouster from the Prime Ministership. The issue came up during the interview when Bajwa sought to clarify that he was not involved in any of the activities that led to Khan's ouster.

Nonetheless, Bajwa admitted that his fault was only in not saving Khan's government. However, the reason behind not supporting Khan's government in the crisis was the fact that he kept Pakistan's interest on top priority, he claimed.

He rues that he could have supported Imran Khan and retired gracefully but it would have been wrong with Pakistan as a country. Admittedly, for General Bajwa, then Prime Minister Imran Khan was dangerous for the unity and integrity of the country, and hence he had to go.