President Dr. Arif Alvi on Monday denied the story that had quoted him as claiming that general (retired) Qamar Javed Bajwa had supported Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in the Senate and during the 2018 general election. He called the article self-concocted and out of context.
President Alvi has taken notice of former Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General (retired) Qamar Javed Bajwa and his team’s falsely attributed statements to him regarding his alleged support to PTI. “The said statement has been quoted out of context and is self-made and fabricated,” the statement added.
Earlier a statement attributed to President Alvi was circulating about the help of PTI. Addressing a dinner hosted in his honour President Alvi said he had spoken to the new army chief regarding the “game of audios and videos”, a newspaper had reported.
“I wonder why this trend continues, in any moral sense it should not continue,” he said. President Alvi said he also discussed the “neutrality” of the armed forces with the army chief. “If the army has left politics it is time for politicians to take control and create a situation where you don’t have to run towards them,” he said.
Responding to a question on Imran Khan’s allegations against the former army chief, Alvi said, “Though the other side was saying that he has become neutral and he was not putting pressure on the people (to leave), I think there was some pressure (on him).”
Asked why and when relations between Imran Khan and general (retired) Qamar Javed Bajwa deteriorated, Alvi said he was still looking for an answer but it probably happened in October last year and then in April or May this year. “However, I am aware that General Bajwa and his team had helped Imran Khan in the Senate and he also helped PTI during the elections,” Alvi was quoted as saying.
It should be noted that PTI has been accused from time to time by rival parties that the military establishment had a hand in making Imran Khan and PTI a political force and winning elections. Federal Minister for Economic Affairs Ayaz Sadiq in a statement has recently urged former army chief Qamar Javed Bajwa to clarify his role in ensuring PTI’s victory in the 2018 general elections.
