Istehkam-e-Pakistan President Aleem Khan said on Thursday that the Establishment had pulled back its support from Imran Khan because they realised that the former prime minister was not what he portrayed himself to be.
“It was like revealing someone’s face after washing off their makeup,” Aleem Khan said.
Speaking to Asma Shirazi in Faisla Aap Ka on Aaj News, Khan said that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf government in Punjab operated through a gang of five people. He said that this included then Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa, DG ISI Lt. General Faiz Hameed, Farah Gogi, Chief Minister Usman Buzdar and Principal Secretary Azam Khan.
He said that the gang was also linked to major property developer in Pakistan. He claimed that the property developer had guaranteed that Faiz would be the next chief.
He also said that Imran Khan had a ‘long plan’ that if he won the election again he would make Faiz army chief and then extend him to keep holding power.
Aleem Khan said that Imran Khan was aware of every single penny that was embezzled during the Buzdar government.
When asked if he had an idea of the volume of corruption that happened he said that Rs30 million was charged for transferring or posting a DC, while Rs40 million was charged for a commissioner.
He said that the DCs were told they were appointed for a fixed time and if they wanted to be extended they would have to pay more.
He also added that he had told Imran Khan that there were unprecedented levels of corruption in his government. However, he added that Imran was either under some ‘spell’ or had purposefully turned a blind eye.
Aleem Khan also expressed his surprise at the fact that Usman Buzdar had not been arrested yet. He added that if arrested, the former chief minister would reveal where every single penny went.
He said something similar for Farah Gogi, adding that she would reveal how much corruption money would go to Imran Khan. He also claimed that Gogi was probably hiding at some foreign house belonging to the property tycoon.
Aleem Khan claimed that Pervaiz Elahi had made plenty of money during his brief tenure as chief minister. He also claimend that Moonis had gone abroad with the money.
He also said that he would not wish anyone to have an offspring like Moonis who was roaming abroad while his father was in jail.
Khan also said that Elahi had agreed to become chief minister as PDM’s candidate but had taken a u-turn after a call from Lt General Faiz Hameed.
Aleem Khan said that 1,110 people had been detained after the Capitol Hill riots in the US of which over 500 had already received sentences. He added that the leaders of the riots have been sent to jail for 18 years.
He added that there was no doubt about who was behind the May 9 riots and there could not be a ‘free for all’.
Aleem Khan said he had been away from politics for almost a full year before the IPP was formed and he had even tried to quit politics altogether.
He added that he had put 20 years of his life into politics and had joined Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf with full belief in the ‘Naya Pakistan’ slogan. Khan said that the PTI was the focus of the entire country’s hopes and the hope was shared by the people who joined the party like him.
Khan said that being a businessman in Lahore during the PMlN government had a ‘price’ but he had paid it happily.
He added that IPP chief Jahangir Tareen was being treated for cancer during the 2014 dharna and had come straight to the venue instead of going home after returning from surgery abroad.
Asked if he had any regrets regarding his time with the PTI, Khan said he had no hard feelings about the money or effort spent for the party. He added that the money and effort were spent not for him (Imran Khan) or even the PTI, but for the country.
“We really believed that upright leadership could bring change the country,” he said.
He added that he had thought at the time that Imran was upright himself, would place upright people in leadership positions and find competent people. He also said that people in PTI had been shown the Shaukat Khanum model.
He asked if people would have trusted Shaukat Khanum hospital if Buzdar had been made incharge. He said that Imran Khan brought incompetent people so they could remain under his thumb and would do whatever he said.
Khan said that when Imran Khan came to power he even turned on those who were prepared to give their lives for him.
