New Delhi: Amid the Pakistan Election Commission's move to remove former Prime Minister Imran Khan from the post of PTI chairman after his disqualification in the Toshakhana case, those in the corridors of powers are also busy brainstorming about holding general elections and electing a new government to end the ongoing political stalemate in the country. However, the centre point of the discussion is - who will be the interim Prime Minister of Pakistan – a person acceptable to all, including the all-powerful military - before general elections are held later this year?


COMMERCIAL BREAK
SCROLL TO CONTINUE READING

It is in this context that the name of Mohsin Beg, once a close ally of PTI chief and former PM of Pakistan Imran Khan, is doing the rounds. According to India Narrative, Mohsin Baig - a well-known but controversial journalist, could be the new caretaker Prime Minister of Pakistan, considering his proximity with the Pakistan Army Chief Asim Munir.


However, Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) workers are concerned after rumours started circulating that Mohsin Baig could well be appointed the caretaker prime minister after the government completes its tenure.


The PTI workers are extremely worried at the moment that the ongoing crackdown against them would intensify if Baig is chosen as the interim prime minister. It may be noted that Mohsin Baig was arrested after his rift with Imran Khan widened during the last days of his government.


WHO IS MOHSIN BAIG?


 


Mohsin Baig is the editor of Online News agency, which provides services to all leading newspapers in Pakistan. Baig was once a close friend and confidante of Prime Minister Imran Khan over the past few years. Baig used to travel on the same plane as Imran Khan due to his association with the then-Pakistan premier.


Mohsin Baig recently made explosive allegations against Imran Khan in an interview and dismissed his rhetoric of Riyasat-e-Madina. Baig also revealed that for eight years, the rent for Khan`s residence was paid for by none other than the American Consulate. Thereafter, Baig started appearing on TV channels after his interview with Safi. According to sources, Baig is known for his connections within the Pakistani establishment and it won’t be easy for the government to keep him behind bars.


"I am saying this on national television, and he can sue me if he wants to, but I want to tell you all that Imran Khan has been fooling people in the name of an American conspiracy. The American Consulate used to pay his house rent for eight years. He is the real American agent," Baig said. 


Beg`s bombshell blew a gaping hole in Khan`s carefully choreographed narrative that his government was toppled in a no-confidence vote by the Americans who had turned hostile to him because of his government`s independent foreign policy.


Khan had, in fact, repeatedly alleged that he met his downfall because of the exertions of David Lu-the assistant secretary of the US Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs. Lu had apparently met Pakistan`s ambassador to Washington in March last, where he was told that Khan must go in a no-confidence vote, which took place a month later.


In tune with the move for an interim arrangement, Jahangir Khan Tareen, who has nested a lot of the deserters from Khan`s parent organisation, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), is skating towards new horizons. Tareen who has formed Istektam-e-Pakistan Party (IPP), left for London on Sunday, in a bid to tap Pak expat support for his new outfit.


According to The News International website, Tareen is expected to stay for over a week in the UK during which he will have meetings with the overseas Pakistanis and have his medical check-up. There are speculations that he could also have meetings with PMLN leaders in London.


Several heavyweights have left PTI to join IPP including Fawad Chaudhry, former governor Sindh Imran Ismail, and Amir Kiani among others. As Pakistan sinks deeper into an economic morass, politicians have started focusing on the expats as the possible silver bullet to bail out the beleaguered South Asian nation`s economy.


In a Zoom call on Sunday with his fast-depleting stock of loyalists, Khan too spoke about the critical role that the Pak diaspora could play in rescuing the sinking ship of the economy. The ex-PM said that overseas Pakistanis trusted him, and he could ensure they invested billions of dollars once he came back to power, The News International reported. He added that overseas Pakistanis would never trust the ruling alliance led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.


He told party loyalists, who declared their all-out support, that his wife - Bushra Bibi - also supported him and stayed as solid as a rock. Significantly, former foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, who is number two in the PTI hierarchy was absent from the virtual meeting. During the call, Khan said he alone could help lead the country out of its present economic mess.