Imran Khan claims Bajwa ‘frequently’ said Pakistan is not ‘equipped or prepared’ for war with India

In a recent interview with an American think tank, Pakistan’s former prime minister, Imran Khan revealed that ex-Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa “frequently” said that the army was not “equipped or prepared” for a war with India, as per the council's website. This comes months after the United Kingdom-based Pakistani media “UK44” reported that Bajwa told two senior journalists that Pakistan lacked the ammunition and economic strength to fight against India.

Opening for peace with India?

During an interview with Atlantic Council, a Washington-based think tank, Imran Khan said that there was an opening for peace with India even after the government had “unilaterally” scrapped Article 370 of the Constitution, which gives special status to Jammu and Kashmir, in August 2019.

“I tried my best before then to improve our relationship with India. In fact, my first statement was, ‘You come one step towards us, we’ll come two towards you,’” Khan told the Atlantic Council, on June 18.

The former Pakistan PM also went on to claim that there was a plan favoured by Bajwa which reportedly included normalising trade between the two countries before Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi could visit Pakistan.

However, when asked about the reports, Khan told the American think tank, “I don’t remember the trade talks. All I know is that there was supposed to be a quid pro quo. India was supposed to give some concession, give some sort of a roadmap to Kashmir, and I was going to then host Prime Minister Modi in Pakistan. But it never materialised”.

“I tried everything, but I came across this brick wall,” said Khan.

What did Bajwa supposedly tell Pakistani journalists?

Earlier this year, ANI reported about the revelation, naming Pakistani journalists Hamid Mir and Naseem Zehra, who supposedly said that Pakistan lacked the firepower to face India. Mir told UK44 in an explosive interview that General Bajwa admitted that Pakistan “cannot go to war with India”. Mir said that General Bajwa told a conference of commanders that the “Pakistan Army is no match for the Indian Army.”

Mir claimed that since the Pakistan Army lacked options, Bajwa proposed to mend ways with India to have a normal relationship. He said that the two countries started working on a solution for Kashmir as Pakistan realised it lacked ammunition and economic strength to fight India.

The journalists claimed that General Bajwa in 2021 revealed that he held secret talks with India’s National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and that a visit by the Indian PM was planned to Pakistan soon after a ceasefire along the Line of Control with India was announced.

‘Ridiculous’: Imran Khan reacts to reports of Bajwa’s claims

When asked about reports that emerged in April, the former Pakistan PM told the Washington-based think tank, “Even if that was the case, for an army chief to make these statement is so ridiculous.” He added, “I mean for an army chief, he is basically saying, ‘We are just too weak.’ You never make such a statement.”

He also went on to say as “two civilised countries, we should solve our issues through dialogue, and if we can’t solve them through dialogue, we just keep talking. But war is never an option.”

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