Former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on Monday stated that he had no conflict with the army and reiterated his primary objective of holding fair and transparent elections in the country.
“I want to clear one thing that I am not fighting my own army. Who does that? There was no conflict with the army before, and there isn’t one now,” he said during a Twitter space.
During the one-and-a-half-hour-long interactive session on social media, Khan took many questions from the participants in relation to current political situation in the country, relations with the army, the economy, and other topics.
To a question on why he removed army chief General Asim Munir as DG ISI back in 2019 when he was the prime minister, Khan did not give a straight answer but rather said that what he is witnessing on social media, suggests that the opposition is siding with the COAS.
Read more: A strong army guarantees security, unity of country: COAS
“He [army chief] should address the issue. I cannot say [more].”
Imran Khan said that whenever he criticises the army, it is like how a parent criticises their children. “We want a strong army; we would never want a weak army,” he said.
“However, if they think I will be intimidated because of fear, I would prefer to die because death is better than slavery.”
Imran claimed that former COAS General (retd) Qamar Javed Bajwa had reached an understanding with Zardari and the Sharifs internally after the extension. “I continued working with him. I tried [till the end] even though I knew he was undermining me.”
Khan said that there was a good chance that he will be arrested on Tuesday (tomorrow) and added that it would not make any difference, adding that the protest afterwards should be ‘peaceful’.
“If I were to go to jail, it wouldn’t make a difference. I am mentally prepared for it.”
“I am alive before you, what do you think am I alive because of security reasons? Allah has saved me. You should have firm belief. If Allah has made a decision, there are a hundred ways to die, but if Allah wants to save you, no one can kill you. Allah saved me for the second time in the judicial complex. As soon as I realised I was being trapped, I asked Allah how He would save me from this trap, and Allah did save me. If you want to achieve something significant, first eliminate your fear. Fear stops a person. Fear is a natural thing, but one must gain control over it. It must be fought against. Only faith is something that eliminates fear.”
Also read: NA passes resolution against May 9 vandalism by majority vote
Addressing the vandalism following his arrest on May 9, Imran Khan stated that the parties that create chaos do not seek to contest elections and the parties that do have the votes of people don’t need to engage in such tactics.
“We have not done it [violent protests]nor has our leadership has done it. You have modern gadgets, you can check it. I am convinced an independent inquiry would make big revelations.”
He said that those who believe that they can crush a party through hard tactics are not familiar with ground realities. “They haven’t learned anything from history, nor do they have an understanding of political science.”
The former prime minister said that the entire nation’s hopes rested on the shoulders of the Supreme Court now. “In my opinion, the Supreme Court will stand tall. It has proven itself to be independent. The military courts and the like, which have undermined fundamental rights, will not succeed. I believe that the judiciary will take a stand. We are fortunate to have such competent judges. I am confident that they will stand firm and prevent any catastrophe from unfolding,” he added.
He said that the “Sharif mafia” was making every effort to divide the judiciary, as they had done in the past by attacking the top court and removing Justice Sajjad as the chief justice.
According to Khan, the Constitution was violated when the government did not hold the elections on May 14 as per the court orders. “When such things happen, it allows the powerful to do as they please. Whenever the doctrine of necessity arises, it is the powerful who decide which verdict to accept and which to reject.”
He said that PTI leader Shireen Mazari was ordered to be released twice by the court, yet she is arrested again, maintaining that the law should protect the weak as the powerful do not need it as much as the weak.
Also read: Gen Asim showed Imran proof of his wife’s corruption in 2019: Shehbaz
“Why do you go to foreign countries? Because you pay taxes and the state provides you protection. They have independent societies. But here, they have caused the deaths of 25 individuals, but no inquiry has taken place. They want everything to be linked to the attack on the Corps Commander house,” he added.
The PTI chief said that burning the house of Corps Commander in Lahore and Radio Pakistan building in Peshawar was a crime but holding peaceful protests is not a crime. “Even if you want to protest in front of GHQ peacefully, it is your right.”
Talking about the instigators of May 9 vandalism, he said that people seen in the footages “looked different” and were not members of his party. “Why would we want unrest? We are a popular party, and we only want elections to take place.”
Talking about the treatment of the PTI supporters and workers taken into custody, he said he could never imagined those in power would stoop so low.
“I have never witnessed such treatment towards women. I fail to understand what kind of mindset this is. The stories I am hearing are extremely difficult for us, especially about women. It is the first time that our women have participated in politics in such a large numbers. No country can progress without the rule of law. We are at 129 out of 140 in the Human Rights Index. How will investment come? How will the country progress,” he questioned.
The PTI chief said that no political party can be eliminated simply by arrests of its workers and efforts to suppress it.
Also read: PTI moves SC against trial of civilians in military courts
“How will you eliminate a vote bank? The popularity of PTI is above 70%. The PTI can even surpass a two-thirds majority if elections are held right now. Do whatever you want, but people know me. They have known the PTI for 27 years. We have never resorted to violence,” he maintained.
Khan said that the authorities have made a decision that wherever they would find PTI members, they will nab them. “They have put the entire [PTI] senior leadership in jail. People come and say we are abandoning the party. I sympathise with them.”
He challenged that even if half of the ticker holders are taken out and fresh ones are given even then his party will emerge victorious as it enjoyed the massive support of the masses.
“Do whatever you want. Take half of the ticket holders out of the picture. I challenge you; we will give tickets to new people, and they will win because the vote bank is still there.”
This will be updated…
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