ISLAMABAD: Ousted Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan on Tuesday pointed his guns at political opponents, accusing them of conspiring for a clash between his Pakistani party Tehreek-e-Insaf and the mighty military.
Khan, who announced his goal was to win Haqeeqi Azadi (real freedom) through the march which in his words was possible if free and fair elections were held immediately, also said he was not against establishing the country.
Addressing his supporters in Gujranwala at the start of the fifth day of his protest march, Khan continued his vitriolic attack on his political opponents – former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and former President Asif Ali Zardari.
“They are conspiring for a clash between the PTI, which is the largest political party in the country, and the military,” Khan alleged.
“Nawaz Sharif, I challenge you, when you come back I will beat you in your own constituency,” he said.
He warned the former three-time prime minister that when he returned to Pakistan, “we will take you to Adiala prison from the airport”.
Khan also took aim at former president and leader of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), Zardari, saying he should “prepare” for his arrival in Sindh – the traditional stronghold of the Bhutto-Zardari family.
“Zardari listen carefully, I’m coming to Sindh,” he added.
Sharif mocked Khan for his long participation in the march, saying the party could not muster even 2,000 people while claiming he would muster a million protesters.
“The reason for the indifference of the people is the diabolical lies,” Sharif tweeted on Monday evening.
He alleged that Khan lied so much that the head of spy agency Inter-Services Intelligence was “forced to break his silence and tell the nation the truth”.
Sharif said he had informed Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif not to listen to any of Kha’s requests, no matter how many people he brought.
ISI chief Lt. Gen. Nadeem Ahmed Anjum said Thursday that army chief Lt. Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa received a “lucrative offer” in March from the then Khan-led government amid political unrest.
Khan admitted he had proposed an extension of the army chief’s term, but said he would remain “silent” as he did not want to “damage” the country and its institutions.
Khan, who came to power in 2018 with the promise of creating a “Naya Pakistan”, apparently lost the support of the mighty military after refusing to endorse the appointment of the ISI chief last year.
Finally, Khan agreed, but it soured his ties to the military, which has ruled the coup-prone country for more than half of its 75-year existence and has so far wielded considerable power. in matters of security and foreign policy.
Separately, former Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry said protesters would spend the whole day in Gujranwala.
He said the decision to slow down the journey to Islamabad was taken to avoid accidents with “thousands of people walking alongside the caravan”.
Chaudhry also announced that the schedule for the march has been changed and it will not be able to reach Islamabad even by Sunday. The original plan was to reach the capital on Friday. According to the new plan, the march would reach Jhelum on Sunday.
He also criticized the government for tightening security measures in the nation’s capital and said it had deployed at least 30,000 security guards and released a large sum of money to deal with the party’s march.
Meanwhile, Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb accused Khan of “openly inviting the army to overthrow the government” and interfere in politics.
She was reacting to Khan’s speech on Monday night when he said he would rather see martial law imposed in the country than by the government in power.
The minister said only “humiliation and disgrace” are inscribed in Khan’s fate, calling him a “foreign-funded fitna (disturbance)” and a “coward who only plays tricks”.
Furthermore, PPP leader Shazia Marri said in Karachi that Khan wanted to see a bloodbath and her statement on martial law shows his frustration. “We condemn the comments,” she said.
Khan was earlier this month disqualified from the current National Assembly by a five-member panel of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) headed by its leader Sikandar Sultan Raja.
He is calling for early elections and he is leading the long march to Islamabad to enforce his demands. The term of the National Assembly will end in August 2023 and new elections are expected to be held within 60 days.
Khan, who was ousted from power in April after losing a vote of no confidence in his leadership, spoke of a ‘threatening letter’ from the United States and claimed it was part of a foreign plot to impeach him as he was not acceptable to follow an independent foreign policy. The United States has dismissed the claims outright.
Khan, who announced his goal was to win Haqeeqi Azadi (real freedom) through the march which in his words was possible if free and fair elections were held immediately, also said he was not against establishing the country.
Addressing his supporters in Gujranwala at the start of the fifth day of his protest march, Khan continued his vitriolic attack on his political opponents – former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and former President Asif Ali Zardari.
“They are conspiring for a clash between the PTI, which is the largest political party in the country, and the military,” Khan alleged.
“Nawaz Sharif, I challenge you, when you come back I will beat you in your own constituency,” he said.
He warned the former three-time prime minister that when he returned to Pakistan, “we will take you to Adiala prison from the airport”.
Khan also took aim at former president and leader of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), Zardari, saying he should “prepare” for his arrival in Sindh – the traditional stronghold of the Bhutto-Zardari family.
“Zardari listen carefully, I’m coming to Sindh,” he added.
Sharif mocked Khan for his long participation in the march, saying the party could not muster even 2,000 people while claiming he would muster a million protesters.
“The reason for the indifference of the people is the diabolical lies,” Sharif tweeted on Monday evening.
He alleged that Khan lied so much that the head of spy agency Inter-Services Intelligence was “forced to break his silence and tell the nation the truth”.
Sharif said he had informed Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif not to listen to any of Kha’s requests, no matter how many people he brought.
ISI chief Lt. Gen. Nadeem Ahmed Anjum said Thursday that army chief Lt. Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa received a “lucrative offer” in March from the then Khan-led government amid political unrest.
Khan admitted he had proposed an extension of the army chief’s term, but said he would remain “silent” as he did not want to “damage” the country and its institutions.
Khan, who came to power in 2018 with the promise of creating a “Naya Pakistan”, apparently lost the support of the mighty military after refusing to endorse the appointment of the ISI chief last year.
Finally, Khan agreed, but it soured his ties to the military, which has ruled the coup-prone country for more than half of its 75-year existence and has so far wielded considerable power. in matters of security and foreign policy.
Separately, former Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry said protesters would spend the whole day in Gujranwala.
He said the decision to slow down the journey to Islamabad was taken to avoid accidents with “thousands of people walking alongside the caravan”.
Chaudhry also announced that the schedule for the march has been changed and it will not be able to reach Islamabad even by Sunday. The original plan was to reach the capital on Friday. According to the new plan, the march would reach Jhelum on Sunday.
He also criticized the government for tightening security measures in the nation’s capital and said it had deployed at least 30,000 security guards and released a large sum of money to deal with the party’s march.
Meanwhile, Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb accused Khan of “openly inviting the army to overthrow the government” and interfere in politics.
She was reacting to Khan’s speech on Monday night when he said he would rather see martial law imposed in the country than by the government in power.
The minister said only “humiliation and disgrace” are inscribed in Khan’s fate, calling him a “foreign-funded fitna (disturbance)” and a “coward who only plays tricks”.
Furthermore, PPP leader Shazia Marri said in Karachi that Khan wanted to see a bloodbath and her statement on martial law shows his frustration. “We condemn the comments,” she said.
Khan was earlier this month disqualified from the current National Assembly by a five-member panel of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) headed by its leader Sikandar Sultan Raja.
He is calling for early elections and he is leading the long march to Islamabad to enforce his demands. The term of the National Assembly will end in August 2023 and new elections are expected to be held within 60 days.
Khan, who was ousted from power in April after losing a vote of no confidence in his leadership, spoke of a ‘threatening letter’ from the United States and claimed it was part of a foreign plot to impeach him as he was not acceptable to follow an independent foreign policy. The United States has dismissed the claims outright.
