Imran Khan recommends the extension of COAS

ISLAMABAD– Former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan on Monday while raising a question on the appointment of new army chief by those with just 85 seats said that Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa should be given extension until the new government is elected.

In his exclusive interview with a private TV channel, the former PM said that they still have the option of dissolving the provincial assemblies, and they also have a few ideas and will push the federal government staying within the constitution.

Imran Khan admitted and stated that accepting the name of the Chief Election Commissioner was a big mistake, adding that the establishment had given a guarantee, but the Chief Election Commissioner left no room against us. “The CEC openly opposed and sabotaged the EVM, and if a transparent election is to be held in the country, voting must be done with a machine,” he added.

Lashing out at PM Shehbaz Sharif, Imran went on to dub him [Shehbaz] as a “fugitive”, questioning how the person with 85 seats can have the power to select the COAS. Reiterating the narrative of a foreign conspiracy, Imran said that the current government came into power through a plot, but if the people in the coalition government came to rule by getting a mandate through the vote, then they [the coalition government] could go for the selection of the COAS. “I am ready to talk with everyone, but first we will talk about the general elections.” However, “they [coalition government] get upset when they hear about elections, so how could I talk to them,” said the former premier.