Imran Khan steps up pressure on ‘neutrals’

ISLAMABAD: Chairman Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and former Prime Minister Imran Khan has warned that “whoever will try to stop the flood of public will be wiped out” as a large number of people showed up at his call to take out a public rally in an expression of solidarity with detained PTI leader Shahbaz Gill on Saturday.

“It is the will of the public — you cannot stop it. I want to tell everybody who wants to listen, whoever will try to get in the way will be swept away,” he said in a hard-hitting speech after leading the rally from Zero Point to F-9 Park here.

The PTI chief announced to have cases registered against former PM Nawaz Sharif, Maulana Fazal ur Rehman and Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah for delivering ‘anti-state’ speeches— and against inspector general of police (IGP) Islamabad, deputy inspector general (DIG) Islamabad and magistrate who gave physical remand of Gill.

“If a case against Gill can be registered, then we will have cases registered against all of them,” he announced.

The former PM also announced to move Supreme Court against Gill’s arrest and torture.

“With due respect, I tell my Supreme Court, all eyes are on you now — to play your role against this tyranny meted out at him (Gill).”

The PTI chief minced no words to attack the security establishment once again— dubbing it as “neutrals.”

“I ask my neutrals — are you really neutral?” he remarked amidst roaring applause from the public.

“We were told that you remained neutral when a foreign conspiracy was unleashed on this country—and you backed off. Okay, but what about now? Who is running the show now? The Punjab Police officials said they received orders (for May 25 torture on long march protestors) from ‘above’ and Islamabad Police says the same—who is doing all this,” Khan asked.

In the same vein, he deplored, “I asked a police official ‘Why did you do all this?’ He replied, we were pressured by a boot.”

Khan asked what he called “neutrals” to “stand with Pakistan— don’t stand with thieves.”

What happened to Gill was meant to “enslave us and what happened to ARY News was meant to shut our mouth,” Khan lamented.

“Nawaz Sharif, Maryam Nawaz, Khawaja Asif and others gave statements that were far more serious than what Gill said – but nothing happened—it is only him (Gill) who has been subjected to ‘inhuman torture’ in total disregard to law,” he said.

Khan paid his profound homage to social media for highlighting PTI’s anti-government campaign. He recalled that there was complete blackout of PTI on electronic media on April 10 when he had called for protest against the removal of his government. “All the television channels were completely silent. No one was showing us — but live long social media, they gave complete coverage to PTI’s protest and then ARY News was the first channel to give us coverage — no matter what you do to silence us — whether you pick social media activists or apply any other brutal method, you cannot stop the people of Pakistan from siding with the truth,” he stated.

“By doing all this, will you be able to impose these thieves on us? No you won’t. If anybody thinks that by shutting down TV channels, you can impose these looters on the public, you are totally mistaken. No one can stand against the public,” Khan asserted.

He said he will share his future political prospects at the Liaquat Bagh jalsa in Rawalpindi today (Sunday).

Earlier, the Islamabad administration had announced that people would not be allowed to assemble in the federal capital for PTI rally in the wake of imposition of Section 144 in the federal capital. Despite heavy deployment of police, the PTI leadership decided to hold the rally which was not stopped by the police and district administration authorities apparently because people in a massive numbers showed up at the event. Initially, the plan was to hold rally from China Chowk to F-9 Park that was changed by the PTI leadership reportedly because of huge public turnout.

Meanwhile, Imran Khan also held separate meetings with party leaders, some senior journalists, social media activists and students of Howard Business School.

The reports from these meetings quoted Khan as saying that he was not aware of another possible extension in the tenure of army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa. The new army chief should be appointed on merit, he reportedly said.

Khan also said that British newspaper Guardian misquoted him on Salman Rushdie. “He is the dirtiest human being—I boycotted an event in India years ago only because this man (Rushdie) was invited in the same event,” the PTI chief said.

Khan also said that dialogue with PM Shehbaz Sharif was not possible. “If he is really serious in dialogue, then he should first bring his brother’s looted wealth of billions of rupees back to Pakistan,” the PTI chief stated.

Earlier, PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry visited Police Lines in sector H-11 to record his statement and share evidence regarding alleged torture on Gill by Islamabad Police.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022