- Says May 9’s arson seemed a joint plan of forces fearing of electoral defeat
- Political party in position to win poll never wants chaos: PTI Chairman
LAHORE, Pakistan: The former Prime Minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan said that the acquittal of the PTI Central Punjab President Dr. Yasmin Rashid in the Corps Commander House Attack Case was the testimony that PTI had no hand in May 9’s arson and vandalism rather it was a joint plan if those who were shying away from the polls because their defeat was unavoidable.
In his address to the nation on Sunday, the PTI Chairman said that a political party, which was in strong position to easily trounce its political opponents, did not want chaos and anarchy in the Country.
Imran Khan stated that the acquittal of Dr. Yasmeen Rashid and declaring her innocent by the court in the Corps Commander House Attack Case testified PTI’s stance that violence and chaos was not its philosophy and what happened on May 9 was not a part of the policy.
The former prime minister went on to say that PTI President of Central Punjab’s video was on social media, wherein she could be heard repeatedly ordering party’s workers over a loudspeaker not to enter the Corps Commander’s house.
The PTI Chairman said that it raised many questions as to how all this happened and who planned all this.
Imran Khan recalled that over 10,000 of our people are in jails, adding that it seemed all part of the well-thought-out plan to put a ban on the party, as it was evident from the level of brutality being perpetrated on the innocent detainees.
“I challenge that in whole of my 27-year political struggle I have ever spoken of arson,” he added. Imran Khan reminded that the constitution gave them the right to protest peacefully, adding that three long marches were taken out during the PTI government but no FIR was registered and not a single person was detained and tortured.
However, he asked whether or not there would be any independent inquiry into our innocent people languishing in jails?
Imran Khan said that it was not the law of the world that one should play a role of judiciary and executive to punish anyone on their free will, as there was always an independent inquiry into such incidents in the world.
“The party that wants elections does not want chaos, anarchy suits those who are running away from elections and this all seems a joint planning of all of them,” maintained.
The former premier recalled that he was sitting in the Islamabad High Court (IHC) and was on bail and there was no charge against him but even then he was abducted from the court premises like a terrorist.
Imran Khan said that even before going to Islamabad, he had said that if his arrest warrant was issued, then he was ready to present himself for arrest and there was no need of staging a big drama by attacking the court staff, breaking windows, torturing people and treating him as a terrorist.
“Now I am wondering if it was done on purpose because I could have been easily arrested by the police when I left the court, there were no people with me,” he added.
The PTI Chairman said that the reaction after his arrest was evident but all what happened seemed part of the big scheme and the only way to get to the truth was to conduct an independent inquiry.
“The workers who have come to me after release from prison all tell the same story that more people have been locked up in a prison than its capacity,” he added.
Imran Khan said that the political workers were living in such bad condition that they did not provide with food for two days despite the fact that no crime has been proven against them, who were acquitted in one case but then they were caught in another case.
The PTI Chairman revealed that the courts ordered release of 40 people but only 7, 8 were set free and remaining were re-arrested in another cases.
The former prime minister tated that the rulers should know how much damage was done to Pakistan, in their efforts to break PTI, as people’s businesses were being destroyed, their relatives were taken away from their homes.
Imran Khan went on to say that PTI senior leaders Hammad Azhar and Atif Khan’s businesses were closed. Imran Khan asked what they would gain out of these destruction, adding that they wanted to weaken the PTI so it could not able to contest the elections.
The PTI Chairman said that the only purpose of establishing military courts was that there was no case against him to be punish hence they now decided to try him under military courts.
“I will go to jail but what will happen afterwards, will Pakistan be able to come out of this quagmire of problems, will our economy, which is in the worst condition in history, recover,” he said.
Imran Khan said that in case PTI lost the elections, then the same people would come to power who ruined the booming economy within a year, which was clearly reflected from the official data.
Imran Khan recalled that Pakistan’s economy was growing at an average rate of 6% in two years, US dollars were coming into the country.
The PTI leader said that agriculture grew by 4.5% after 17 years and Large Scale Manufacturing was growing at 10.4% after 17 years. Similarly, Imran Khan revealed that IT exports had increased by 75% and we were about to bring big investment from overseas Pakistanis in projects like Ravi City.
The PTI Chairman said that the Country was making progress when there is rule of law, adding that the judiciary never even tried to be independent. Imran Khan stated that the lawyers’ movement was first started in 2007, lawyers and the nation stood by the then Chief Justice and for the first time the hope arose that our judiciary is becoming independent and gradually people started regaining their faith in the judiciary.
However, Imran Khan stated that once again the reverse process started as the judges were being intimidated and despite their best efforts to follow the law even in these difficult situations but they were kept under extreme pressure.
Similarly, the PTI Chairman said that the media was completely controlled and even no one was allowed to mention my name and PTI representatives were not allowed to the TV programs.
“I want to ask those people who used to talk about the freedom of the media in our era, where did they all go today, what is happening with the media today, as such restrictions were not imposed even in Musharraf’s martial law,” he added.
Imran Khan stated that in a democracy, the judiciary protected citizens’ fundamental rights, adding that peaceful protest was the fundamental and constitutional rights of the citizens and depriving a largest political party from political activities was tantamount to put an end on democracy in the country.
The PTI Chairman went on to say that the Supreme Court was divided, the judges were pressured not to stand with the constitution and there was curb on media and democracy cannot function without an independent media.
Imran Khan stated that in such circumstances, ‘The only thing left is that we either accept the slavery of the powerful and Pakistan goes back to its dark times when the world used to mock us that there is no democracy in Pakistan or to keep fight for the true democracy, which gives true freedom”.
The former primer stated that they did not have any formula to establish the rule of law in Pakistan and to get the country of the prevailing quagmire.
The PTI Chairman reiterated that the overseas Pakistanis did not have confidence in the country’s judicial system and foreign investment did not come until there was a rule of law in the country, adding that when the government did not accept the decision of the SC, openly threatened the Chief Justice, then who would trust the justice system of this country.
The PTI leader said that the investors got scared very quickly and unless they were sure of the security of their money, they would not invest.
The PTI Chairman revealed that in the last 8 months, Pakistanis have invested more in Dubai as compared to the last ten years, adding that Pakistan’s capital was going out, people have lost hope, as our professionals are also leaving the country.
Imran asked that if all this was part of the plan to end PTI, then what the road map ahead was.
“I want to tell my nation that there are two ways, we have to decide whether to go towards the law of jungle and destruction or we as a nation have to struggle towards freedom and rule of law,” he added.
The PTI Chairman stated that he would continue to stand and struggle for achieving real independence as long as he was alive, the people also have to stand for the true freedom of this Country.
