ISLAMABAD, Pakistan – In a veiled attack, ousted Prime Minister Imran Khan targeted the Pakistan Army for his downfall, according to source, accepting that his government was “weak”.
On Wednesday, Khan admitted he did not enjoy absolute power and his hands were tied as the Prime Minister of Pakistan, indicating the actual centers of power in the country lay elsewhere and “everyone knows where that is,” according to Pakistan Today.
In an interview with Bol News, Imran Khan said his government was “weak” when it assumed power and had to seek support from its coalition partners, adding that if the same situation were to arise again, he would opt for re-elections and seek a majority government or none at all.
“My hands were tied. We were blackmailed from everywhere,” he said, as ANI quoted. “Power wasn’t with us. Everyone knows where the power lies in Pakistan so we had to rely on them.”
“We relied on them all the time. They did a lot of good things too but they didn’t do many things that should’ve been done. They have the power because they control institutions such as NAB (National Accountability Bureau), which wasn’t in our control.”
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Khan claimed that while his government had the responsibility, it did not have all the power and authority he needed in his role as the Prime Minister.
“No management works if I have responsibility but have no complete power and authority,” he said. “A system works only when responsibility and authority are in one place.”
The former PM also said it was imperative for the country to have a “strong army” due to the threat posed by the enemies but said there was also the need to strike a “balance” between having a strong army and a strong government.
“If the establishment doesn’t make the right decisions, then I can assure in writing that (before everyone else) they and the army will be destroyed because what will become of the country if it goes bankrupt,” he said.
Last week, the Pakistan Tahreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chief Imran Khan led a rally of thousands of supporters towards the capital Islamabad against the opposition group to protest his downfall after losing a no-confidence vote in his leadership.
But the new Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif pledged to stop the convoy from entering the city, blocking all major roads surrounding Islamabad with shipping containers.
While entry and exit points of major nearby cities – where a heavy security presence was in place – were also cut off, Sharif called the rally an attempt to “divide the nation and promote chaos”.
