ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's former Prime Minister Imran Khan on Saturday night rejected reports that he had dismissed Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa, amidst the raging political and constitutional crisis in the country over a no-confidence motion against him in Parliament.
Talking to a group of his favourite journalists, who are known for defending him in the talk-shows, Khan rejected rumours about making any change in the Army leadership.
"There was neither any talk of dismissing the army chief nor was this on the cards," Khan told journalists after chairing an emergency Cabinet meeting where it was decided that he should not resign despite losing majority in the National Assembly and facing possible defeat in the no-confidence motion which he has been trying to stall.
"I will do my job as per the law and in line with the Constitution," he was quoted as saying by Geo TV.
The emergency Cabinet meeting has taken many by surprise as Khan has little chance of surviving the no confidence motion against him.
Earlier, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Senator Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar called upon General Bajwa to "play his role to defuse the crisis".
"If the NA speaker and the government don't act on the clear directives of the Supreme Court, then General Bajwa should play his role in this situation of crisis," Khokhar tweeted.
"Yes! He should issue a statement that he stands with the decision of the Constitution, democracy and the Supreme Court," he added.
Khan, who came to power in 2018 with promises to create a 'Naya Pakistan', apparently lost support of the powerful 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 powerful Army, which has ruled the coup-prone country for more than half of its 75 years of existence and has hitherto wielded considerable power in the matters of security and foreign policy.
Khan wanted to keep Lt Gen Faiz Hameed as the spy chief but the army high command transferred him by appointing Corps Commander in Peshawar.
Interestingly, no Pakistani prime minister has ever completed a full five-year term in office.
Khan held an emergency meeting of his Cabinet on Saturday night, even though his government is expected to lose a no-confidence motion in the National Assembly, according to local media reports.
Khan chaired the emergency Cabinet meeting where it was decided that he should not resign, sources said.
The meeting has taken many by surprise as Khan has little chance of surviving the no confidence motion against him.
Also, reportedly top courts have become active and the Islamabad High Court and Supreme Court were expected to become operational by midnight to take action if the orders to complete voting on a no-confidence motion against Khan were not implemented till the end of the day.
Chief Justice of Pakistan Umar Ata Bandial has instructed the relevant officials of the top court to open the doors at 12am, sources said, as the National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser is yet to allow voting on the no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Khan.
Islamabad High Court's doors are also being opened on the instructions of IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah, sources said.
Meanwhile, the joint Opposition has lodged an official complaint with the Speaker, urging him not to further delay the voting on no-confidence motion against the prime minister.
They said all authorities concerned including him were guilty of "gross contempt and liable to punishment in accordance with law".
The joint Opposition need 172 members in the 342-member house to oust Prime Minister Khan.
They have garnered the support of more than the needed strength with the help of some allies of the ruling coalition and rebels from Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party.
Khan, who has been saying that he will fight till the "last ball", has been claiming that the Opposition's no-confidence motion against him was the result of a "foreign conspiracy" because of his independent foreign policy and funds were being channelled from abroad to oust him from power.
In an address to the nation on Friday, the 69-year-old prime minister reiterated his allegations that a senior US diplomat threatened regime change in Pakistan.
The US has bluntly rejected the allegations.