Defense Minister Khawaja Asif disclosed on Wednesday that former army chief General (retired) Qamar Javed Bajwa had threatened him with a press conference, to which Asif responded, “I said do it.“
Asif confirmed that he had been threatened by the former army chief before, and when asked if he had been threatened previously, he affirmed, “Yes, he threatened me earlier as well and told me that he [Bajwa] would hold a press conference against me to which I said do it.”
The conversation arose while Asif was discussing his demand to summon ex-army chief and spymaster Faiz Hamid to the National Assembly for questioning on their policy regarding the Taliban’s return.
Responding to the anchor’s mention of PTI’s condemnation of the threat to the defense minister, Asif maintained that his call for summoning the ex-generals for a briefing on the previous government’s policy was not meant as an insult to anyone.
He explained, “Two or three years ago we were given a briefing that if the Taliban were allowed to return to Pakistan, a new era would start, and there would be peace and brotherhood. We were presented with a rosy picture but see what’s happening in the country.”
Asif clarified that he had not received any direction from the party regarding this matter and emphasized that no one should take offense at his demand. He stated, “If someone is feeling hurt, I would say, let it go.”
Regarding the issue of election rigging, Asif highlighted that it is a political matter and suggested that if PTI wants to audit, it should begin from 2018.
In a separate statement, Law Minister Nazir Tarar noted that former military officials like Bajwa and Faiz cannot be summoned to Parliament as only elected members are allowed on the floor of the house. He suggested that they could be asked to appear before standing committees instead.
