Khan Accuses Coalition Gov't of Stalling Snap Elections to Appoint 'Army Chief of Their Choice'

Former Prime Minister Imran Khan labels the coalition government led by Shehbaz Sharif as "imported", accusing the United States of conspiring to bring in a government of its choice. Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Khan has been taking out big rallies across the country, highlighting the government's economic failures.

Imran Khan has accused the ruling coalition partners -- Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) of postponing elections in order to "appoint an army chief of their own choice".

Addressing a massive public rally in Faisalabad in the country's Punjab province, the former prime minister said that the two parties formed a government to close the past corruption cases against them.

"They want to bring their own army chief. They are afraid that if a strong and patriotic army chief is appointed, he would ask them about the looted wealth," Khan said.

General Qamar Javed Bajwa is set to retire in November after serving six years as Pakistan's army chief.

Khan, the cricketer-turned-politician, emphasized that only "free and fair" elections can bring economic and political stability to the country.

This was our second jalsa in Faisalabad in the last two months. This was even bigger than the first one. MashaAllah, Pakistan has changed and evolved politically. Only politically aware nations break the shackles of mental and physical slavery. pic.twitter.com/esUbAiTava

— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) September 5, 2022

"Inflation is skyrocketing, while the economy has fallen to the ground…According to the IMF, corruption is the root cause of poor economic conditions in the country," he reiterated. Pakistan is facing an economic emergency, with foreign exchange reserves plummeting to below $8 billion.

The International Monetary Fund released $1.1 billion last week to support the economy.

The PTI leader accused the Sharif and Bhutto family of "looting" the nation for decades. Khan, who was ousted through a parliamentary vote of no-confidence, accused Washington of conspiring against his "unbiased" government, a charge the US has already countered on many occasions.

"Imran Niazi’s despicable utterances to malign institutions are touching new levels every day. He is now indulging in direct mud-slinging & poisonous allegations against Armed Forces & its leadership. His nefarious agenda is clearly to disrupt & undermine Pakistan," Shehbaz Sharif reacted to Imran's remarks later on his Twitter.