Ex-Pakistan PM Imran Khan demanded an "immediate inquiry" into former Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa's tenure from 2016 to 2022, alleging abuse of power on several occasions.
In his letter to Pakistani President Arif Alvi, the cricketer-turned-politician claimed that the former Army boss had "violated" the country's constitution. To back his claims, Khan quoted Gen. Bajwa's recent comments made during an interview in which he stated that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief was "dangerous" for the nation.
PTI politician Shireen Mazari shared the letter on Twitter.
"Who gave him [Gen. Bajwa]) the power to decide that an elected prime minister [Imran Khan] was supposedly a 'danger to the country if he continued to stay in power'?" Khan laments in the letter.
Stressing that this was a violation of the constitutional rules, Khan pointed out that only the citizens of Pakistan have the right to remove an elected PM through polls.
"Only the people through elections can decide who they want to elect as the prime minister. Taking such a right on himself is in clear violation of his oath as given in Third Schedule Article 244 of the Constitution," Khan added.
The former Pakistan PM then highlighted journalist Aftab Iqbal's conversations with the former Army chief.
"Gen Bajwa told him [Iqbal] in conversation that he had tapes of then-PM Imran Khan’s conversations with him," Khan mentioned. "The question is why and under what authorization was Gen Bajwa recording confidential conversations?"
Khan's latest volley against Bajwa comes a week after he labeled him "Super King," before arguing that he was a "puppet" in the hands of the then-powerful Army chief, as it was he who was making decisions on almost all matters concerning Pakistan, including its relations with foreign countries, financial issues, as well as defense.
Pinning the blame for his exit from Pakistan's top post on Bajwa, he accused the former general of plotting his government's fall last year.
"Whatever happened, now as things unfold, it wasn’t the US who told Pakistan [to oust me]. It was unfortunately, from what evidence has come up, [former COAS] General Bajwa who somehow managed to tell the Americans that I was anti-American," Khan said earlier this month.
"And so, [the plan to oust me] was not imported from there. It was exported from here to there," he summed up.