Citing security threats, Imran asks courts to conduct his hearings via video link

Former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan requested the courts on Monday that all cases against him be heard via video conferencing, claiming every time he leaves home, his life is in danger, Aaj News reported.

In a televised address, the PTI chief said the interim government of Punjab withdrew his security protocol as a former prime minister, and now “they want to single me out and execute a Wazirabad-like attack.”

Imran called on the Chief justice of Pakistan (CJP) to look into the matter carefully.

“I passed through all the obstacles to appear before the court on Saturday because I am a law-abiding citizen. However, foreseeing election results, they aim to kill me now,” he said.

Imran said he was “miraculously” saved from “a death trap” outside the Federal Judicial Complex on Saturday.

The former prime minister asked the CJP if there was any surety for his security. “Tell me who was there to protect me when I entered the Judicial Complex. The three to four guards protecting me would have easily been pushed away,” he said.

The PTI chief said that the government and its handlers had put up a “solid plan” to eliminate him, but he was saved by the “help of Allah and my supporters” in the nick of time.

“I had left home thinking that they will arrest me in Islamabad, however, after arriving in the capital, I realized that they had plans to assassinate me.”

Imran said there were thousands of police and Rangers officials deployed there and beyond that, there were “na maloom afrad” in plain clothes.

“How in the world, when even lawyers were not allowed inside the complex, they let in 20-25 in plain clothes. What were they doing there? They were there to execute their plan,” Imran Khan said, adding: “One of my colleagues came running, and asked me to leave the place immediately because it was a death trap and they wanted to kill me.”

The PTI chief also highlighted the “fascism” of the interim government, saying his party leaders and workers are being “abducted” from their houses ahead of the planned rally at Minar-e-Pakistan on Wednesday.

“Hassan Niazi, who had received protective bail from the Islamabad High Court (IHC), was “abducted” right outside the court by the police without a warrant,” Imran noted, adding that “such barbarism and “lawlessness” will push the country towards destruction.

The PTI chief lashed out at Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) senior vice president Maryam Nawaz for creating a societal divide by “portraying Pashtoons as terrorists”. He said such tactics would further weaken the federation.

He said the PML-N leadership ran false propaganda that TTP militants were hiding in Zaman Park, saying one of the people who was propagated as terrorists had issued a video to expose their lies.

Imran Khan accused the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) of creating polarisation in society and said they were trying to pitch the PTI and armed forces against each other to continue their dirty game.

“They have no regard for the country or the people of the country. All they want is to protect their ill-gotten money. This is why they are trying to block my way back into power.”