Former Prime Minister Imran Khan urged President, Dr. Arif Alvi, to investigate former Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javid Bajwa, who is accused of, among other things, suspected breach of oath, interference in politics, and manipulating the nation’s anti-corruption agency.
In a letter dated February 14, the former prime minister and PTI leader requested that the President, as commander-in-chief of the armed forces, admit to the former military czar that he deems the former prime minister “threatening to the country” and capture footage of his private discussions. The PTI head cited a piece by journalist Javed Chaudhry and a video log by TV presenter Aftab Iqbal to assert that the findings in both publications suggested that the former army chief had violated his oath and that an investigation may corroborate this.
Imran also questioned General Bajwa’s role in the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), stating that “the military is a division of the Ministry of Defense, and the military does not oversee the civilian administration.” At the time, the opposition accused NAB of conducting a witch hunt under the pretense of “accountability,” In contrast, the former prime minister now says that NAB is purportedly under the influence of the army leadership. The PTI government pridefully included NAB’s performance in its biennial performance assessment in 2020. In the letter, Imran warned the President that “very distressing evidence” has become public and that it is evident that General Bajwa has breached his oath of duty as COAS on multiple occasions. Imran stated, “In light of the following infractions, I recommend that the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces examine him promptly.”
Imran then stated that Bajwa had revealed to journalist Javid Chaudhry that “we” believed Imran posed a threat to the country if he continued in power. Imran inquired, “The question emerged as to who gives him the authority to decide on the elected Prime Minister, ‘if he remains in office, he will be a threat to the nation’?” To be elected prime minister, he stated, “the use of such powers against oneself is a blatant violation of the oath established in Article 244 of the third list of the Constitution.”
Imran further asserted that whether or not Bajwa’s claims in the case were accurate, he conceded that “he succeeded in dismissing the NAB case against Shaukat Tareen, which demonstrated that NAB was under his influence.” Imran stressed that this is a clear violation of the constitutional pledge, as the army is a division of the Ministry of Defense, and civilian officials have no power over the military.
Referring to Aftab Iqbal’s video blog, Imran stated that General Bajwa informed Iqbal in a chat that he had a recording of his conversation with then-Prime Minister Imran Khan. Imran warned the President, “This is yet another egregious violation of his oath and fundamental human rights.” The question is why and with what authorization did General Bajwa record the secret conversation.
Moreover, Imran stated, “When General Bajwa came out against the then-neutrality government’s policy during the Russo-Ukraine conflict, it was another grave breach of his oath.” Imran recalls that Bajwa was present indoors. This occurred on April 2, 2022, at the Islamabad Security Meeting, an international conference held in Islamabad.
Imran remarked that the government’s strategy results from consensus among all parties involved, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and former diplomats with pertinent regional expertise. Imran concludes that Chapter II of the Constitution expressly references Article 243 (Command of the Armed Services) and Article 244 to outline the duty of the armed forces (Oath of the Armed Forces).
Therefore, he recommended that “it is your constitutional duty as President and Chief of the Armed Forces to act promptly and launch an investigation to ascertain whether a major violation of the Constitution and the oath of office has been established.”
Although the letter was written on February 14, officials from the presidential palace stated that no action had been taken and that the media would be informed if action was taken.
