LAHORE: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan has decided to appear before an Islamabad session court on March 18, and reiterated that he was willing to hold talks with anybody in the interest of the country and he was ready to take every step in this direction.
In a message on Twitter on Thursday, the former PM said that he was prepared to render any kind of sacrifice for Pakistan’s prosperity, interests and democracy.
He went on to say that he had no issue with taking any initiative that serves the country’s interests and brings prosperity. “I want to express my heartfelt gratitude to the people, including the party workers, who joined us in the struggle for ‘Haqeeqi Azadi’ (true freedom),” he added.
Meanwhile, during a meeting with a delegation of journalists, the PTI chief told them that he will appear before the Islamabad court on March 18, as he believes in the rule of law. He showed confusion, saying when he told them he would appear before the court then why the drama was staged.
Talking about his possible arrest, he said that the police and Rangers came near his residence to arrest him; there was no doubt that after arresting him, there was a plan to torture and kill him. “I have never refused to appear before a court; however, I have been summoned to a court on which I have security concerns. My arrest was not being made to produce me before the court, but to kill me,” he added.
He further said that his party would not let the elections get delayed for more than 90 days otherwise the PTI would launch a constitutional movement. “We would not let anybody to violate the Constitution at any cost,” he added. When asked about the whereabouts of former Punjab Chief Minister Chaudhry Parvez Elahi, he said Chaudhry tested positive for Coronavirus.
Later, while addressing the potential PTI candidates for the upcoming elections, the PTI Chairman reiterated that repeated attempts were being made to create unrest in the country to jeopardise the elections. “We did not learn even after the fall of Dhaka and tried to repeat the history by pitching military and paramilitary forces against the biggest and the only federal party of the country.
The people of Pakistan love their armed forces because they consider them their protectors, but such action would only attract hatred and weaken the forces,” he added.
He lamented the brutality of police and Rangers in Lahore; teargas canisters and bullets were fired on unarmed workers of his party. “It was the result of giving command of the police to criminal and corrupt officials,” he added.
The former premier maintained that his arrest had nothing to do with the law, but was a part of the London conspiracy; to put him in jail, destroy his party and subsequently, manipulate the elections. “They (coalition rulers) want to avoid the elections so that I do not return to power,” he added.
The PTI chief disclosed that he was ready to surrender when he was told that things were getting out of hand. “However, the party workers were against it, as they feared that I would face the same treatment that was given to PTI leaders Shahbaz Gill and Azam Khan Swati,” he added.
He disclosed that five more cases had been registered against him, taking the total tally to 85 and he was confident that the courts would declare him innocent in all the cases, as nothing illegal would be found on his part. “If a single case was proven against me, I would quit politics,” he added.
Khan urged the potential candidates not to stand against the party’s decision in the upcoming elections. “I do not have any relatives or friends in the party; I would distribute tickets in a transparent manner and on merit,” he added.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2023
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