LAHORE: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan Saturday urged the Supreme Court of Pakistan (SCP) to hold an independent investigation into vandalism and violence that erupted after his arrest in the Al-Qadir Trust case.
He also urged his supporters to come out of their homes and gather at a spot in their neighbourhood from 5.30 pm to 6.30 pm on Sunday (May 14) with a placard inscribed with ‘save Constitution, save the country’ and also announced to start a series of public gatherings from Muridke on Wednesday (May 17).
In his first address to his supporters after his release from the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) custody, the former Prime Minister said, “I want an independent and complete investigation on the burning of state buildings and firing at unarmed youth protesters, but I want Chief Justice of Pakistan Umar Ata Bandial to make a panel under him for this.”
SC declares arrest of PTI chief ‘invalid’
In response to the recent countrywide violent protests and attacks on the military installations, including the Lahore Corps Commander House and the General Headquarters (GHQ), Khan denied his party workers’ involvement in the violence. He asserted that those who provoked violence during PTI protests were not ‘their people’, claiming that these ‘miscreants’ instigated the people to act violently.
He reiterated that his supporters had always maintained peacefulness during the party’s 27-year struggle. He said that he called off the sit-in in Islamabad last year, as he wanted to avert violence. “When I was shot, should not there have been vandalism? This did not happen, because I do not believe in violence. The PTI is the only political party in the country where families, including children, attend public gatherings and why they would ever want anarchy in the country,” he added.
He accused the coalition government and its ‘handlers’ of the mayhem, saying those fearing defeat in polls want anarchy in the country and not his party; all should understand that people who want elections do not need anarchy.
While extending his gratitude to the judiciary for saving him from going to jail, he observed that democracy was hanging by thread and only the judiciary could save it, adding that this ‘mafia’ (coalition government) was going all out in attacking the judiciary and hence he urged the nation to stand with their judiciary and the Constitution. He castigated PML-N Quaid Nawaz Sharif for destroying the judiciary’s independence in the past; “when an independent judiciary is destroyed, your independence goes with it, because the judiciary protects your fundamental rights”.
The PTI Chairman condemned the manner in which he was arrested from the Islamabad High Court (IHC)’s premises, saying that the army, which should not have come to apprehend him, assaulted him. He noted that (on Friday) the police stopped him from leaving the IHC premises despite the court granting bail in multiple cases. “The police wanted to arrest me under MPO (Maintenance of Public Order) outside the courtroom,” he claimed.
Referring to the NAB case registered against him, he claimed that he did not reap any personal benefit from Al-Qadir Trust and that a trustee never gets any monetary benefit. He added that the decision to establish the university was taken in November (2018) and its ground-breaking ceremony was held when he was the Prime Minister in May 2019. “The UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA)’s case surfaced seven months after that and it was taken up in the cabinet in December 2019. At the time, the funds for the university had already been allocated,” he added.
“The case was quite simple; we were given a choice that Pakistan would receive US $170 million from NCA and its details regarding the agreement would remain confidential or otherwise we have to file a case in the UK. We were also told that we have already wasted US $100 million on foreign litigations and if we file a case, it will take years to conclude. Hence, we decided to opt for the first choice. Ironically, the government made a corruption case against me over this,” he said.
He said that the aim to establish Al-Qadir University was to produce leadership for the country, which was acquainted with Islamic teachings; moreover, when he became the Prime Minister, he decided to promote Seerat-un-Nabi. He also lambasted the recently sacked NAB Chairman as well as the ‘handlers’ for including his wife’s name in the case.
Addressing the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General, the PTI Chairman said, “DG Sahib, I had represented my country and brought prestige to it when even you were not even born,” he said, adding that he should know who defended Pakistan Army at the international forums during the war on terror. He went on to say that he did not use derogatory words for the army chief; “how could you (DG ISPR) level allegations against me.”
He averred that he was not responsible for the economic meltdown in the country; “if I criticize someone, it means I want reforms”. He continued that the army was maligned because of the former army chief’s actions who not only stabbed him in the back but also imposed a corrupt mafia on the country. “The nation was not a herd of animals who would do as an army chief desired. The ISPR DG does not have the right to label me a liar or deceitful,” he added.
Khan said that nobody could eliminate a political party by force and put them in jail. “I know you (the army chief) would not listen to me but my suggestion for you is to come out of your small, closed rooms and meet others to find ways to save the country from destruction,” he added.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2023