Imran Khan urges Pakistan generals to take ‘U-turn’ on support for govt led by Shehbaz Sharif

He said cash-strapped Pakistan stood at a critical juncture and it was very important that the “right decisions” were made today.

The Pakistani military should take a U-turn on its support to the "failed" government headed by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, ousted premier Imran Khan has said, urging the powerful generals to review their decision as any wrong move by them would further widen the gulf between the people and the establishment.

Addressing a seminar organised by the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) here on Saturday, Mr. Khan, Chairman of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party said that the whole nation was looking toward the establishment as they have power.

Mr. Khan said it was important for leaders and generals to take ‘U-turns’ as no one should consider himself infallible.

The longer the current setup runs, the more damaging it would be for the country, said Mr. Khan, who has been complaining about the powerful military abandoning him during the political crisis earlier this year.

Mr. Khan, who came to power in 2018, apparently lost the support of the Army after he refused to endorse the appointment of the ISI spy agency chief last year.

Finally, he agreed but it soured his ties with the military, which has ruled the coup-prone country for more than half of its 75 years of existence and has wielded considerable power in the matters of security and foreign policy.

Mr. Khan urged the establishment to take a U-turn on its support for the incumbent government led by Prime Minister Sharif. He said cash-strapped Pakistan stood at a critical juncture and it was very important that the “right decisions” were made today.