Bureau Report
Lahore: Former prime minister and PTI Chairman Imran Khan, in an exclusive interview with an international media outlet, has said that democracy in Pakistan is at “an all-time low”.
“Democracy is at an all-time low. The only hope we have is the judiciary,” said PTI chief Imran Khan while speaking with Sky News on Sunday.
He also said that the coalition government was “petrified of elections” and feared being “wiped out” by his party at the polls.
“So they have decided that the only way they will allow elections is if I am inside jail or killed. There have been two attempts on me,” he said, adding that his house was also raided while he was away.
The former prime minister also condemned “all violence” when asked about alleged violence by protesters following his arrested from the premises of Islamabad High Court (IHC) on May 9.
Addressing the party workers and supporters on Friday, the former prime minister has urged Supreme Court (SC) of Pakistan to launch an investigation into May 9 violence, emerged following his arrest in Al-Qadir Trust case.
The PTI chief urged them to come out of their homes and gather at a spot in their neighbourhood from 5:30pm to 6:30pm tomorrow (Sunday) with a placard inscribed with “Save Constitution, save country”.
The PTI chief noted that the police stopped him for leaving the Islamabad High Court (IHC) premises despite the court granted bail in multiple cases. “The police wanted to arrest me under MPO [Maintenance of Public Order] outside the courtroom,” he added.
During his address, the PTI chairman maintained that his supporters had always maintained peacefulness during their 27-year struggle. He said he could never forget May 25 when the state unleashed violence on PTI supporters and activists.
Arrest episode
PTI Chairman Imran Khan was arrested by National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in the Al-Qadir Trust case on Tuesday.
The PTI chief was taken into custody by Rangers personnel, who were acting on the National Accountability Bureau’s (NAB) warrant, from the premises of Islamabad High Court where the former premier had gone to seek bail in multiple cases registered against him.