File photo of PTI chief Imran Khan
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on Tuesday alleged that judges are under immense pressure and are receiving calls from unknown numbers in a bid to intimidate and prejudice them against his party.
Addressing his supporters via video-link, the former prime minister claimed the unknown callers had threatened to “open files” against judges—though he did not specify how he was aware of this information, as it would entail him being in direct contact with the same judges that are to preside over cases pending against him; a clear conflict of interest. However, he maintained, he was confident the judges would uphold the rule of law in the country.
“The institutions that are supposed to stop crimes have been tasked to end PTI,” he alleged, reiterating calls for “dialogue” so he could be briefed on a “road map” for the future. “What I have understood is that a new king’s party is being made. Those who have left [PTI] are being added to that the king’s party,” he claimed, without offer any evidence of his claims, per routine. Claiming that the ruling coalition knew it could not defeat the PTI through polls, he maintained that the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) was losing support and people were unwilling to attend its public gatherings. He also accused the party of colluding in the prevailing “cruelty,” and questioned how such behavior could steer the country out of crises.
“A strong government is one that has people behind it, not the establishment,” said the former prime minister who spent years stressing upon the public that he was on the “same page” as the military and had their “full support.” Gathering deserters from the PTI, he claimed, with the support of the establishment would not help rid the country of its problems. Only a government that came to power with the people’s mandate could take major decisions needed to resolve problems, he said, adding the country could not survive until the supremacy of law had been established.
Referring to the PMLN and the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) deriding the PTI over its desertions despite facing “less pressure” than his party, Khan reiterated the claim that all cases filed against them had been created before he came to power. He also claimed—falsely—that his government had never picked up women or entered people’s homes. He further alleged, without naming anyone, that his “security head” had gone missing. “They are spreading fear so that we become slaves. This is the time to struggle for Haqeeqi Azadi,” he said, claiming an arrest warrant was issued for his wife, Bushra Bibi, to “humiliate” her.
“If they stand up and say that Imran Khan is a traitor, will people believe it? It is a difficult time, sacrifices have to be made for freedom. I am ready. I will not accept their slavery in any case, the nation should also prepare,” he said, reiterating claims of an “imminent” assassination attempt on his life. “Great is the death that comes in the struggle for freedom. We must stand up now and strive for true freedom,” he said.