Now focus will be on people, promises, dearness: PM Imran Khan

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan has said he has found COAS General Bajwa to be a very balanced personality who is fully committed to democracy and in his initial days of assuming office, he had decided to give an extension to Gen Bajwa.

The prime minister was talking to senior journalist and analyst of Jang Group, Irshad Bhatti, on Thursday. Talking to the Geo News host Shahzeb Khanzada in the latter’s programme, Bhatti said the prime minister found the rumour mongering about the extension to the army chief as very weird. The prime minister said the extension is already a bygone conclusion and we are enjoying the rumour mongering over it.

Imran Khan said he at the very outset of assuming the office had decided that COAS Gen Qamar Bajwa would continue as the army chief. He termed Gen Bajwa’s adherence to democracy as praiseworthy, adding he was the best army chief. Bhatti quoted the prime minister as saying Gen Bajwa supported the government all the way on the Kartarpur initiative, parleys with White House, in dialogue with the Middle Eastern neighbours and addressing the economic situation as well as the internal and external security issues.

The prime minister said without Gen Bajwa, the government would not have made strides in the domesticand external fronts. Imran said he was proud of General Bajwa as the army chief who was a blue blooded soldier.

Bhatti told Shahzeb that during the interview, the prime minister looked very relaxed and confident and even jovial at times. When asked why was he sarcastic about Shahbaz Sharif and mocked PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto during the inauguration of Hazara Motorway, the prime minister said Bilawal has been in practical politics for a decade but the governance in Sindh was absolutely atrocious and added that when over 30 people perished due to lightning, no politician worth his salt could dismiss the issue lightly the way Bilawal did. The prime minister went on to question if the Sharifs were not the proteges of Lieutenant General Jilani (former Punjab martial law administrator). The prime minister then asked if all this was a fact, then what wrong did he do in mentioning all of that to which I (Irshad Bhatti) responded that being the prime minister this mannerism does not suit his prestigious office. At that, the prime minister conceded that is true, saying he had realized that the language should not be repeated. The prime minister said the abusive language was hurled against him from the container declaring him to be a non Muslim, being a Jewish agent, but he also agreed that it was not perhaps a very good way of responding to the criticism. Bhatti told Shahzeb that the prime minister said he was not a bigot and expressed his annoyance to the container speeches.

During the interview, the prime minister went ahead to ask Bhatti if the JUI-F leader had not been cutting deals in his political career all along, “to which I conceded.”

About the impression of a 'deal' offered to Maulana Fazl, the prime minister said it is a blatant lie and Fazl must tell with whom he has struck a 'deal'. The JUI-F chief is talking in an ambiguous terms, the prime minister said and added let him claim what he wishes, he has not been given any deal. The prime minister said Fazl should have continued the sit-in. Fazl kept the people there by offering them money. Bhatti quoted the prime minister as saying that staging a successful sit-in was not a joke and if it was such an ordinary matter, Fazl must give it a try again. A leader who abandons his workers in rain and rough weather cannot stage a sit-in, the prime minister told Bhatti. The prime minister said Fazl's plan was already finished and it had reached point Z.

Imran Khan said he was politically strengthened by the Dharna but he also realized there is room for an improvement in governance and performance. If there is another Dharna, it will greatly benefit his government, the prime minister said.

When Bhatti asked the prime minister about the impression that his government is packing off in two to three months, Imran Khan said they must be referring to 2025. About the foreign funding case, he said there is nothing of concern there. The prime minister said the government was strong and was facing no threat.

Quoting the prime minister, Bhatti told Shahzeb, that the opposition has no concern about the parliament and democracy; they simply dislike me. They will have to bear with me for another three and a half years. Bhatti asked the prime minister about focusing on governance. Imran said the happiest moment during the last 16 months was the one when our fighter jets shot down the intruding Indian aircraft. However, he was extremely saddened by the persistent persecution of the Kashmiris under the lockdown and the Sahiwal incident. Imran said he was also very frustrated over the travails of a common man due to increasing inflation.

About corruption, the prime minister said he would maintain his narrative, but now the focus would be on improving the life of the

common man. Imran said he wanted to contest elections in 2025 when Pakistan would become a hub of international investment, agricultural sector would have been revolutionized and we would have a robust industrial sector.

To a question about the performance of the cabinet ministers, the prime minister told Bhatti that the system of rewards and punishment had begun and there will be radical changes in a fortnight. Imran said "so far I have taken the criticism of the ministers’ performance but now I have told them to perform against the given targets in a given time period after which I will review their performance." The prime minister also praised the performance of Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar. When in jest, Bhatti reminded the prime minister of his promise to make him the chief minister Punjab, Imran in a jovial mood said things would improve a lot. The prime minister said now he will fight back with reinvigorated enthusiasm against the mafias and will rid the country of their stranglehold. Imran said he will now fully focus on issues of common man, addressing inflation and would complete the pledges he had made.