DNA

ISLAMABAD: Former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan Friday said that former army chief General (retd) Qamar Javed Bajwa had accepted that he was behind the “regime change” move that led to his government’s removal.

Khan had earlier blamed the United States for overthrowing his  PTI administration, later he turned the guns towards the ex-army chief, and then he also claimed that Punjab caretaker Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi was also involved in the “regime change” operation.

In an interview with Voice of America (Urdu), the ex-premier said: “General Bajwa told the journalist with much pride how he had our government ousted due to economic policies and other matters.”

He added, “People were already aware of who was behind overthrowing the PTI regime. However, General Bajwa has accepted and clarified that he was behind our government’s ouster.”

Imran Khan — who became the first prime minister to be ousted through a no-confidence vote in April last year — said that at present the establishment and the Pakistan Democratic Movement-led coalition government are on “one page”.

Khan was referring to a recent column published in a local newspaper, in which a journalist wrote about his meeting with the ex-army chief, where Gen (retd) Bajwa spoke about his time in the office and interactions with the PTI chief.

In the column, the journalist wrote that Khan wanted the former COAS to save his government, however, Gen (retd) Bajwa did not do so as he feared that the PTI “was dangerous for the country and if it remains in power, the country would not survive”.