ISLAMABAD: Former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founding chairman Imran Khan, on Thursday, said that undermining the Supreme Court is destroying the democracy in the country.

“Destroying democracy is destroying freedom. When freedom is lost then people become slaves,” he said this while talking to the media informally after hearing of the Al-Qadir Trust case in Adiala Jail Rawalpindi.

Khan said that “everyone stood against the intention behind constitutional amendments.”

“On one side of the line are those who are respecting the boots after talking of respect for the vote,” he said, adding that democracy did not run by force or by enslavement. He said that democracy ran on moral strength.

To a question about the establishment of a constitutional court, he said that everything happened in some perspective.

Currently, the perspective of constitutional amendments was that it was to destroy the judiciary, he said.

Khan said the main objective of the constitutional amendment was to extend the tenure of Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa. “They want to pick Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa from the Supreme Court and would appoint him as Chief Justice of the constitutional court,” he said.

“I have seen very few people who make such decisions. Even children know the about intention behind these constitutional amendments,” he said.

The PTI’s founding chairman said the fraud elections held on February 8 were one of the biggest human rights violations.

Despite the passage of eight months election tribunals had not started work as Chief Justice Qazi Feaz Isa had allegedly provided protection, he said.

He said “they are bringing the amendments to extend the tenure of the Chief Justice and the Chief Justice Islamabad High Court (IHC) to suppress us.”

Khan said the Supreme Court was the only ray of hope for the people if the apex court was destroyed then Pakistan would become a banana republic.

“I have been in jail for the last 15 months and am ready to remain in jail further,” he said, adding the public should also not fear incarcerations.

He said the “PTI’s upcoming public gathering scheduled for September 21 is a do or die situation for us.” “Whatever action they wanted to take against us, they should take it, people will come out on September 21,” he said.

Khan said that “holding a public gathering is our constitutional right and if we are prevented from organising a public gathering then we will fill jails.”

Earlier, Accountability Court judge, Nasir Javed Rana, hearing the £190 million National Crime Agency (NCA) scam, commonly known as the Al Qadir Trust case, adjourned the hearing till today (Friday) after Khan’s counsel completed the cross-examination of the prosecution witness and investigation officer (IO) Umair Nadeem of the case.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024