Imran Khan called on his supporters to side with the Supreme Court of Pakistan. (Archive)
Lahore, Pakistan:
The army chief is the most powerful person in Pakistani politics and everyone follows his decisions, ousted Prime Minister Imran Khan said, criticizing the military establishment for siding with the country’s “corrupt mafias” to ensure they don’t have to return to power
Addressing supporters of Pakistan’s Tehreek-e-Insaf party from his Zaman Park residence on Friday night, Khan urged people to side with the Supreme Court as the “imported government” is trying to overthrow it. .
“The army chief is the most powerful person in Pakistani politics. Everyone follows his decisions. The military establishment sides with the corrupt mob, Sharifs and Zardaris, just to make sure he doesn’t have to come back to power,” he said.
The coalition government led by the Pakistan Muslim League and Nawaz has placed an “undeclared ban” on the broadcast of the PTI chief’s speeches by the country’s electronic media.
Expressing serious concern over the split in the country’s Supreme Court, Khan said it would be a great tragedy for the country.
“The division in the Supreme Court will be a great tragedy. I call on the nation to appear in the Supreme Court at a time when this imported government is making an all-out effort to discredit.
“Let me tell you…democracy in Pakistan now hangs by a thread called the Supreme Court and everyone who wants democracy in the country should support it,” said the 70-year-old cricketer-turned-politician.
The PTI chief said that if the government does not stop ganging up on the high court and continues to challenge the implementation of its decision to hold elections in Punjab on May 14, the nation must prepare to take to the streets after Eid.
“I will lead this journey from the front,” he said.
Khan also reminded the military establishment to keep in mind that he may no longer be able to force the nation to accept “corrupt rulers.”
“The establishment must be aware that when a nation rises up, violent tactics do not work. Torture and excesses have been committed before against my party leaders and workers to silence them, but it didn’t work. And it worked”. It will work again… I want to tell you,” he said.
Khan, who suffered gunshot wounds after an attack on his Punjab rally in November, reiterated that plans were afoot in powerful circles across the country to kill him.
Earlier, he named senior ISI officer Major General Faisal Naseer, whom Khan calls “Dirty Harry”, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah behind the attempt on his life.
(Except for the title, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
