Imran Khan was steered by Bajwa, Faiz during PTI rule:  Khawaja Asif

ISLAMABAD: Defence Minister Khawaja Asif on Sunday claimed that the then-prime minister Imran Khan remained under the full control of former army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa and ex-ISI chief Faiz Hamid during his tenure.

In an interview with a private TV channel, Asif said the claims made in The Economist report were accurate, insisting that Bushra Bibi “worked for the former ISI chief and that the information she passed on would prove correct within days.”

“A serious joke was played with Pakistan and a woman was launched for the sake of power,” he said, adding that large-scale financial wrongdoing took place under a planned scheme and claimed that the money from this loot was partly given to the PTI founder, while the rest was sent abroad.

Defence czar’s remarks followed widespread debate triggered by The Economist report, revisiting the political influence attributed to Bushra Bibi, her relationship with the PTI founder, and the controversies that shaped the former premier’s time in power.

Asif also accused PTI leadership of causing serious harm to a province like Punjab, saying: “It is unfortunate that someone educated at Oxford did all this.”

He also alleged that Supreme Court decisions against former prime minister Nawaz Sharif were announced under a plan, and alleged that General Faiz was “controlling both the courts and the PTI founder.”

Commenting on judicial matters in wake of recently passed 27th Amendment, Asif said that the new law on judicial transfers was according to global practice.

“Judiciary should remain independent but not in the manner of Saqib Nisar and Ijaz-ul-Ahsan,” he added.

The defence czar further said that former first lady Bushra Bibi posed a potential national security risk. “Serious dangers could have arisen if Bushra Bibi had fallen into the hands of an enemy country,” Asif added. PTI founder Imran Khan is fully aware of the whole story of The Economist regarding Bushra Bibi’s influence over his decisions in running the affairs of the government. Monitoring Desk