New Delhi: Former army chief Qamar Javed Bajwa has said that the government led by the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) party was a threat to the country. He claimed if its leader, Imran Khan, continued as the Prime Minister, there would have been no Pakistan as it would have led to the eventual destruction of the country, reported Pakistan Today.

Bajwa said that this was brought to the attention of the Saudi ambassador in Islamabad by a minister under Khan

In a discussion with journalist Javed Chaudhry, who is thought to have connections with the government, Bajwa alleged that during a Cabinet meeting, Khan used a vulgar Punjabi word to refer to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Bajwa said that this was brought to the attention of the Saudi ambassador in Islamabad by a minister under Khan.

However, the former army chief did not reveal the minister’s identity. Bajwa’s conversation with Chaudhry, who had a second meeting with Bajwa in the same month, was documented in Chaudhry’s weekly column for Express News.

He said he had asked Bajwa whether he had prevented Khan from resigning from the National Assembly after his ouster in April last year, to which he replied affirmatively. According to Chaudhary, Bajwa had told Khan, “Prime minister! You have lost only one match, the series is still there for you to compete in.”

According to Bajwa, he informed Khan that there was a small margin of only two votes between the PTI party and the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) in Parliament. He advised Khan not to resign from the National Assembly, citing the example of Khaleda Zia in Bangladesh, whose political party suffered significant damage after making a similar decision. The retired general emphasised the importance of staying in Parliament and the possibility of forming the government again in the future. Despite receiving this message, Khan did not respond and the communication was lost.

When asked about the reasons for the downfall of Khan’s government, Bajwa denied any involvement and claimed that their only fault was not saving the government, adding that Khan himself wanted them to intervene. However, no evidence was provided to support this claim.

Chaudhry questioned Bajwa on why he did not save the PTI government, given that he had done so in the past. Bajwa replied that if he had acted in his own interest, he would have continued supporting Khan and retired with dignity. Instead, he stated that he chose to sacrifice his own reputation for the good of the country.