ISLAMABAD – Finance Minister Ishaq Dar claimed that Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa met former prime minister Imran Khan twice recently.
Talking to a private TV channel, the PML-N leader said that General Qamar Javed Bajwa recently held two meetings with former prime minister Imran Khan which were facilitated by President Arif Alvi.
However, on last Thursday, President Alvi denied he had “brokered” any deal, though he added he “only makes efforts to bring people closer.”
Neither Khan nor the military have confirmed that the said meetings were ever held.
Dar was asked if the government was “kept in the picture” ahead of the army chief’s purported meeting with Khan.
“Not officially, but we had an access to it,” the finance minister responded. “After 30 to 35 years [in politics] we’ve also established our own intelligence.”
“As per our information, two meetings [between the army chief and Khan] took place,” he added.
He Dar said it was difficult to guess the outcome of the Khan-Bajwa meeting.
Khan, who was ousted from power in a no-trust vote in April, has frequently claimed he was removed from the office as a result of a “foreign conspiracy” hatched by the administration in Washington which was later implemented by his political rivals at home.
US officials and government authorities in Pakistan have both denied his claims.