- Khan says, “If I’m imprisoned again, I don’t want violence”.
- Says PDM was “stiffened” from PTI, wanted to use force to crush it.
- Says “army is an institution you don’t interfere with”.
After facing severe backlash over the May 9 vandalism, Pakistani Chairman of Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Imran Khan, has warned his supporters not to use force if he is arrested again.
The former prime minister was arrested on May 9 on corruption charges in the Al-Qadir Trust case, but was released after a few days of detention. The surprise action sparked nationwide protests from the irate supporters who resorted to violence and attacked the government military installations.
The military took strong note of the looting that took place that day and vowed to bring the instigators and perpetrators of violence to justice according to army law. Since then, the party has faced a crackdown on those involved in violent protests.
Despite several calls for condemnation, Khan took his time before finally condemning the vandalism of military installations.
In an interview with Al Jazeerasaid the PTI chief fears new arrest on Tuesday (May 23), the day he is due to appear before the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in connection with an ongoing investigation into the UK’s £190 million settlement.
In another interview with CNN, Khan said “Tuesday I have to appear in Islamabad for bail and there is 80% chance I will be arrested”.
However, the former prime minister has advised his supporters against vandalism if he is arrested again lest it give the ruling alliance, Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) a recourse.
“If I end up in prison again, I don’t want violence [as] it feeds into the story of the PDM,” he said.
He believes the government was “stiffened” by PTI’s popularity, as all surveys suggested his party would win the upcoming general election with a two-thirds majority.
“These parties are terrified of us, so they want to use force to suppress us.
“Each [opinion] research says we will win the election with a two-thirds majority, so the government and the establishment want to crush PTI,” the former prime minister claimed
In addition, the PTI chief reiterated that he knew that former army chief General (Retd) Qamar Javed Bajwa would overthrow his government. He said he could have removed Bajwa from the army chief’s post if he wanted to, but he did not want to interfere in military affairs.
“[The] the army is an institution you don’t interfere with…” he added.
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