Pakistan Army Denies BBC Report Claiming Imran Khan Had Ordered COAS Bajwa's Dismissal

Pakistan Army Denies BBC Report Claiming Imran Khan Had Ordered COAS Bajwa's Dismissal
Pakistan Army's media wing Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) has rubbished a report by BBC Urdu which claimed that erstwhile Prime Minister Imran Khan had dismissed a senior official ahead of the voting on the no-trust motion on Saturday, and that the defence ministry had refused to issue the notification in this regard.

The report recounted some purported events on Saturday, claiming that the cabinet meeting in PM House that took place after the National Assembly session was adjourned till after iftar decided to show the 'threatening' letter to a few top officials.

The report then goes on to claim that two top officials reached the PM House 'uninvited', and held a meeting with Imran Khan, was was unpleasant. "Just an hour before the guests' arrival, Imran Khan had ordered dismissal of one of the two top officials," the report further claims. It also said that Imran Khan was surprised at the arrival of the guests, because he was instead expecting the officials he had just appointed. The defence ministry, however, did not issue the notification formalising the removal of the official and the new appointment, as per the report.

Further, the report claimed that even if the dismissal had been formalised, preparations to declare it null and void via court were complete. It then mentioned the petition in Islamabad High Court (IHC) asking the court to nullify the order de-notifying Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa.

The report has sent shockwaves across social media, with many questioning if the events mentioned in the report are true. However, the Pakistan Army has strongly denied the claims made in the report.