In a veiled attack, former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan targeted the Pakistan Army for his ouster and accepted that his government was “weak”.
Khan on Wednesday admitted he did not enjoy absolute power and his hands were tied as Prime Minister, indicating that the actual centres of power in the country lay elsewhere and “everyone knows where that is,” reported 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. Power wasn’t with us. Everyone knows where the power lies in Pakistan so we had to rely on them,” he said.
“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.”
He claimed that while his government had the responsibility, it did not have all the power and authority, reported Pakistan Today.
“No management works if I have responsibility but have no complete power and authority. A system works only when responsibility and authority are in one place.”
Imran 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.
The PTI chief said the current political situation was a problem for the country as well as the establishment.
“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.