Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan who had to face a noisy welcome by none other than ruling PML-N and MQM lawmakers upon his return to parliament on April 06, finally broke the silence on Wednesday and vowed to retaliate in same tone on Friday.
Imran complained that National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, to whom he lost the NA-122 constituency (Lahore) in May 2013 general elections, did not give him the opportunity when he wanted to give a tit-for-tat response to Khawaja Muhammad Asif, for using unparliamentarily language against his party lawmakers in presence of the Prime Minister.
"It was all pre-planned as Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif kept sitting like a silent spectator when one of his courtiers (Khawaja Asif) was bashing PTI members after bringing them to parliament by begging...this was quite shameful, and I'll respond to it on Friday after my return from Karachi," Khan regretted.
Talking to journalists outside his Bani Gala residence before leaving for Hyderabad, Imran Khan said he stood by whatever he said atop his sit-in container during his anti-government campaign which continued for 126 days, about the government, parliament and those sitting there.
"I said nothing wrong and whatever I said about these people who have managed to reach parliament by stealing the mandate of other people, was based on fact as Asif Zardari and even Maulana Fazlur Rehman declared 2013 general election as rigged," he contended.
About the looming threat of confrontation between PTI and MQM workers upon his arrival in Karachi as both sides are up in arms with by the-election in NA-246, Imran said he had heard that preparations have been made to welcome him with rotten eggs and tomatoes, but even then the MQM could not intimidate him.
"I'm a sportsman. I'm used to it and if they [MQM] thinks they can intimidate through such tactics, they're mistaken and we've vowed to break the idols of fear and give a sigh of relief to the people of Karachi so that they could use their right to franchise without any fear," he declared.
The PTI chairman warned the MQM that if anything bad happened to his workers during the electioneering process, a legal team of his party in London would drag Altaf Hussain to the court as everything is being done on his directives.
"He incites people to violence, and this is against British laws. We have noted his [Altaf Hussain] speeches and if anything happened to PTI workers, we'll go to court against him in London," he warned.
Khan said he was going to Karachi to end an atmosphere of fear. "These places will remain no-go areas if people like me don't go there," he said, referring to the National Assembly constituency NA-246 Karachi, where the MQM had its headquarters in Azizabad.
"This atmosphere of fear which restricts voters and candidates will have to end. These no-go areas are unconstitutional and no one should be barred from contesting election anywhere from the country as it's the democratic right of every citizen of Pakistan," he added.
Imran said that he was heading to Hyderabad, where he would meet intellectuals and party supporters, after which he would travel to Karachi later tonight. The PTI chairman said that he would campaign with party workers and supporters on Thursday in NA-246.
To a question whether the PTI and the Jamaat-i-Islami are going to make an alliance against the MQM in the NA-246 by-election, Imran said talks were underway between two sides as both parties want to end the atmosphere of fear in the port city of Karachi.
"I'll speak to JI chief Sirajul Haq for co-operation in the NA-246 by-poll," he added.