In 2019, differences between Bajwa and Khan began to arise. Bajwa wanted the removal of
Faiz Hameed as the DG ISI but Khan refused to do so. The rumor was later denied by Chinese spokesperson
Zhao Lijian, who was quoted, "So-called claim that little has been achieved and no programme was approved over the past three and half years… is pure disinformation," he said. "Over the three and a half years under the framework, many livelihood projects have been approved and implemented, delivering tangible benefits." Khan was later ousted in the
No-confidence motion against Imran Khan, which was alleged to be facilitated by the
Pakistan Army. Khan blamed Bajwa and the army for the removal of his government, and PTI supporters started a huge social media campaign, mainly on twitter with trends being there for days, against the army and ISI. Bajwa retired on 29 November 2022 but Khan continued to criticize the army leadership.Therefore, when he was
arrested on 9 May 2023, his supporters initiated a
violent protest that directly challenged the Pakistani Army, with protestors entering cantonment areas and
burned a Corps Commander's house in
Lahore. The protestors breached the
GHQ's gate though the PTI claim these protests were a "false flag operation" carried out by the ISI. Nevertheless this rare display of resistance towards the military establishment left the PTI's position untenable. Hence, a country-wide crackdown against PTI was started and thousands of its supporters were arrested on the charges of anti-state activities. ==References==