Imran claims President Arif Alvi, General Qamar Javed Bajwa discussed early elections

LAHORE: PTI Chairman Imran Khan Friday claimed that President Arif Alvi has met Chief of the Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa to discuss immediate and transparent elections.

Earlier Friday, President Alvi said that he will follow through on Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s advice regarding the high-level appointment and he could not create hurdles in the much-anticipated process.

Sources told Geo News that Khan made the claim during an informal discussion with senior journalists in Lahore, where he also spoke regarding the army chief’s appointment.

“Appointment of the chief of the armed forces should be done like that of the Supreme Court’s chief justice,” Khan said, according to the sources.

The PTI chairman also added that the incumbent government is making proposed amendments to the Army Act for its own benefit.

“The proposed amendment to the Army Act will be challenged in the Supreme Court,” the former prime minister said and informed journalists that he hasn’t met General Bajwa in Lahore.

Speaking about hitting the road during his party’s long march as it moves ahead in Punjab’s Gujar Khan, Khan said that his doctors will examine him tomorrow and give their opinion accordingly. “I will lead the long march myself from Rawalpindi,” the PTI chief said, according to sources.

Commenting on his attacker being presented in the court a day earlier, as per sources, the PTI chairman said: “Prime suspect of the Wazirabad attack was produced in the court after 14 days. I’m afraid that the evidence would have been lost in these 14 days.”

Khan, when commenting about his party’s relations with the PML-Q, said that the “Q League is our ally. We have an excellent alliance with [Chief Minister Punjab] Pervaiz Elahi.” Khan said that the biggest hurdle in the registration of first information report (FIR) in relation to his attempted assassination was the former Inspector-General of Police Punjab Faisal Shahkar.

The former prime minister, as informed by sources, also spoke about the use of electronic voting machines in general elections.

“I tried hard to stop rigging through EVMs in the elections. Nawaz [Sharif], [Asif Ali] Zardari, Election Commission [of Pakistan], and the handlers were on the same page on the matter of EVM,” the PTI chairman said, as told by sources. Responding to a question about the possibility of becoming the next prime minister, Khan said that he will only become the premier if he gets complete powers.

“It cannot be that one person has the authority and someone else has the responsibility,” the former premier said, sources claimed.