Imran Khan says ex-army chief General Bajwa advised him to dissolve provincial assemblies

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan said that the provincial assemblies of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) have been dissolved after former army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa advised him to do so, a local newspaper reported. While attending the meeting with General Bajwa, Imran Khan was advised by the former army chief that if the PTI chief sought elections, he should first dissolve his governments in the two provinces. President Arif Alvi was also present in this meeting, according to the former Pakistan prime minister. The statment by the PTI chief comes during a recent interview with a private news channel on Sunday, The News.com. It is to be noted that the statement comes after the announcement of the formal launch of its "election campaign in Punjab on Monday". 

Imran Khan exposes Gen Bajwa 

Imran Khan, who has been voted out of office in April last year after a no-confidence motion, said the Intelligence Bureau (IB) chief has shared with him that Bajwa wanted to bring Shehbaz Sharif into power. "General Bajwa and the [premier intelligence] agency knew that the current rulers had stolen the money from the national kitty and taken it abroad. Despite knowing this, General Bajwa was willing to give them 'NRO' as he had planned an extension [for himself]," said Khan. In the interview, he shared that the elections could take place in July if Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif dissolves the National Assembly. Further, he stressed the governments in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) are illegal after the lapse of their stipulated term, reported The News.com.  Notably, Khan's party in these provinces have been dissolved its two assemblies on January 14 and 18, respectively. 

The ad hoc government was abolished and a new "neutral" interim setup was instated.  He also shared his plans for elections in Punjab on May 14. The Supreme Court of Pakistan has announced the date and his party would not let the government go beyond that. "If they think they [incumbent government] will pressurise the Supreme Court, we will not let it happen. They will scandalise the top court to run away from elections," said the former prime minister.  Recently, A three-member bench of the Supreme Court set the day May 14  as the new date for the election to the Punjab Assembly and dismissed the Election Commission of Pakistan's (ECP) decision to extend the polls date from April 10 to Oct 8.