Former Pak PM Imran Khan lambasts military establishment for installing govt of 'money launderers'

Imran Khan, File photo

Pakistan's ousted prime minister Imran Khan has taken on the powerful military establishment, saying that after installing a government of "money-launderers", it is showing concerns over the flight of dollars abroad.

Khan made the comments while speaking at a ceremony on Tuesday for the launch of what his party called a "white paper" on the economic performance of the Shehbaz Sharif-led coalition government.

The "white paper" presented analyses and compared the economic performance of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz-led coalition and the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf governments.

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"After installing a government of money-launderers, it is concerned about (the) flight of dollars abroad. How can the flight of dollars be stopped when you (the establishment) imposed money launderers like Sharifs and Zardaris on the nation," he asked.

The 70-year-old former cricketer-turned-politician also criticised the former army chief General (retd.) Qamar Javed Bajwa, who, he said, had become a "jack of all trades".

"General Bajwa knew nothing about (the) economy, but he claimed to be a champion of the subject. He was not interested in upholding the rule of law and struck a deal with the Sharifs and Zardaris," he said.

Khan added that in the regime change, Prime Minister Sharif had been badly exposed.

"General Bajwa should have reversed his policy of grilling my party men after the public took to the streets after the ouster of my government, but he continued supporting the money launderers and targeting the PTI," he lambasted.

The white paper painted a bleak picture of the economy. It warned that hyperinflation coupled with unemployment could push the country towards complete anarchy, and its situation would become like that of Sri Lanka. Khan, who suffered bullet injuries in his leg during a rally in November last year in Wazirabad city of Punjab province, further said the Sharif-led government would have to go for the International Monetary Fund programme that may result in the kind of inflation the nation has never seen before.

"Free and fair elections are the only solution to steer the country out of the economic quagmire," he said.

The federal government -a coalition of several parties- is opposed to holding elections now. The term of the current National Assembly will end in August 2023.

Khan, who was ousted as prime minister in April this year after a no-confidence motion was passed in the National Assembly, is seeking fresh general elections in Pakistan.