Khaqan Abbasi says Gen Bajwa demanded another extension

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) senior leader and former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi Wednesday said that former Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General (R) Qamar Javed Bajwa insisted on having another extension in his tenure.

Talking to Hamid Mir in Geo News programme, Capital Talk, Shahid Khaqan said that some elements within the government were in favour of giving Gen (R) an extension.

He said the only person who was averse to such a move was PMLN supremo Nawaz Sharif.

Speaking to journalists in Islamabad, insisting against political vengeance, Khaqan opposed putting Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan behind the bars immediately.

“Even if Imran Khan has done something, I’m not in favour of putting anyone in jail,” the former premier said.

As allegations are made on a daily basis, trials should also be conducted simultaneously, he said.

Earlier, Abbasi had also opposed plans to arrest former finance minister Shaukat Tarin for allegedly attempting to obstruct Pakistan’s talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

Commenting on the ongoing cases against the PTI chief, the former PMLN senior vice-president said: “After completing this matter, punish Imran Khan if he has done anything.”

Abbasi added that Khan had done several wrong things and admitted the mistakes himself. “Imran Khan has himself spoken without any limits. I’m not referring to hearsay, but talking about his own confessions.”

The PMLN stalwart said that the PTI chief himself admitted to putting people in jail and apprehending them.

“Who authorised Imran Khan to make the cases? In principle, one should not have the authority to put any politician in jail because this power turns into vengeance,” Abbasi said while condemning the political victimisation.

He also highlighted that former prime minister Muhammad Khan Junejo was the only premier who didn’t go to jail, while all others were imprisoned under the 1973 Constitution in the last 50 years.

Clarifying rumours about a rift between him and his party’s Senior Vice-President and Chief Organiser Maryam Nawaz following his absence from the PML-N workers convention in the federal capital, the former premier said that Maryam came to Islamabad but he was not invited to the convention, as it was for that specific division.

“This was the Islamabad division’s convention. I’m from the Rawalpindi division. I’ll be there when Maryam will arrive in the Rawalpindi division on February 19,” Abbasi said, brushing aside gossip on his rocky equation with the party’s senior vice-president.

He further said that Maryam had asked to meet him on Sunday, but he was in Lahore at the time attending a literary festival. “I told Maryam Nawaz not to come, as I’ll meet her in Lahore.”

The politician on Sunday also cleared the air about his party affiliation and said he would contest the upcoming elections only on the PML-N ticket.