File photo of PTI chief Imran Khan
Reacting to reports of his not being able to provide any evidence to support allegations against a senior military official, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on Tuesday claimed that he will be able to prove his claims if an independent probe is initiated.
A day earlier, several media outlets reported that during questioning by a Joint Investigation Team (JIT) probing the Wazirabad shooting that left him injured, Khan had been unable to provide evidence supporting his allegations against Maj. Gen. Faisal Naseer—who he has accused of orchestrating a plot to murder him. According to the reports, Khan had claimed “someone” had told him of the plot but failed to provide any proof of his assertions.
Sharing the reports on Twitter, anchor Kamran Shahid said Khan had “owned” all the video clips in which he had accused the former Army chief; the ISI chief; and Naseer but had not been able to provide any evidence. Responding to Shahid, the PTI chairman reiterated that he owned everything he had said in these videos, but questioned how he could provide evidence when he had earlier been unable to even get a FIR registered against Naseer or Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who he accuses of being co-plotters.
Accusing the military officer of being involved in the “cover-up” of the shooting, he alleged that Naseer had “sabotaged” the JIT report compiled while the PTI was in government in Punjab. He further maintained that he would be able to prove his allegations if there were an independent probe. “However, were there to be an independent investigation, I would prove that he [Naseer] has been involved in the worst crimes against our citizens,” he alleged.
In a subsequent statement, the PTI condemned the “leaking” of the JIT proceedings to media—seemingly confirming their accuracy—and called for an investigation to identify and hold accountable people who were allegedly involved in the attack on Imran Khan. “We call upon media to refrain from transmitting, publishing and airing of the content released through dubious and unverified sources which lack veracity and legal value and aimed primarily to contaminate public opinion, mislead the nation and impact the case adversely at the stage of investigation,” it claimed.
Meanwhile, in a press conference, the interior minister said Khan’s statements before the JIT “proved” that the PTI chief had levelled baseless allegations against him, the prime minister, and the Army chief.