On Tuesday, hours before the arrest of the Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, he released a video responding to a statement by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) and stating that he was chief of the country’s ‘largest’ political party and that he had no reasons to lie. The leader also said that he was mentally prepared to go behind bars.
The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) on Monday condemned Khan’s ‘highly irresponsible and baseless allegations against a serving senior military officer. In the 6-minute-long video, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader said that the officer in question had tried to kill him twice and he was so powerful that he (Khan) was unable to register a case despite being in power in Punjab.
“Firstly, the ISPR has issued a statement that the army has been disrespected by me naming an intelligence officer that has tried to kill me twice. ISPR sahib, listen to me carefully. Respect is not confined to a single institution; respect should be for every single citizen,” Khan said reiterating that he was chief of the country’s ‘largest’ political party and that he did not need to lie.
“This man tried to kill me twice and whenever an investigation is carried out, I will prove that it was this man and there is a whole gang with him. My question is: despite being a country’s ex-PM — because this man’s name has come forward — why was I unable to register a first information report? If he was innocent, it would have been revealed,” Khan said.
Imran said that two top police officers had declined to join the joint investigative team (JIT) established by the Punjab government to look into the Wazirabad attack on his life. “Who was behind it? Who was this powerful?”
He said that the team itself was sabotaged and that four Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) employees changed their testimony after the JIT concluded that three shooters were engaged in the attack. Imran also asserted that he would show how the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) had seized control of the Islamabad Judicial Complex the evening before he arrived for a hearing in the Toshakhana case in March.
“I will prove that ISI [officials] were present in CTD uniforms and lawyers’ garb. I will prove that a brigadier, who I will not name, was there to monitor everything. What was the ISI doing there? It is my army, my Pakistan, not just yours. It is our army,” he was quoted as saying.
Was mentally prepared to go to jail: Imran Khan
The PTI leader said that the military establishment was really being harmed by the crackdown on individuals who publicly criticised it. He continued to assert that it wasn’t necessary to send a large number of police officers and other government representatives for his appearance before the courts in Islamabad.
“If someone has a warrant, come to me directly, I am prepared to go to jail. Spending so much money as if a major criminal is coming to Islamabad. Do us a favor and don’t stage such a drama and directly provide a warrant,” he said adding that he was mentally prepared to go to jail.
In the tweet, Imran can be heard saying that the coalition government is making attempts to arrest him to prevent him from campaigning for elections and also to stop him from “mobilising the masses for street movement in support of Constitution if PDM govt & their handlers refuse to obey the SC (Supreme Court) and violate Constitution on holding of elections.”
The PTI has called for quick elections in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, whose assemblies have been dissolved, making the electoral debate a controversial one. Elections were scheduled to take place in the two provinces on May 14 by decision of the Supreme Court, but the matter is still in dispute.
ISPR condemned Imran Khan’s actions
The ISPR had criticised Imran on Monday for making extremely irresponsible and baseless allegations against a serving senior military commander and urged him to seek redress in court rather than making false allegations. The military’s public affairs branch said in a statement that the PTI chairman had made “fabricated and malicious allegations” against a senior military commander without providing any supporting documentation.
“This has been a consistent pattern for last one year wherein military and intelligence agencies officials are targeted with insinuations and sensational propaganda for the furtherance of political objectives. We ask the political leader concerned to make recourse to legal avenues and stop making false allegations,” the ISPR said.
Word war between PM Shehbaz Sharif and Imran Khan
Earlier, PM Shehbaz Sharif also criticised Imran Khan for routinely maligning and threatening the Pakistan Army and Intelligence Agency for the sake of petty political gains. This is after an assassination attempt on the PTI chief in Wazirabad last year, Imran named three people and demanded their immediate removal from official posts.
However, in a series of tweets today, Imran Khan took a jibe at PM Shehbaz, asking if he did not have the right to nominate those he felt were behind the assassination plot. “Does Shahbaz Sharif’s tweet mean that army officers are above the law or they cannot commit any crime? If we believe that one of them has committed a crime, how does it bring the institution into disrepute?” he questioned.
The now-detained leader also sought answer to “who was powerful enough to sabotage Wazirabad JIT despite PTI government in Punjab?”
“Can Shahbaz Sharif explain why the ISI completely occupied the judicial complex in Islamabad on the evening before my appearance on March 18? Why did the ISI people disguise themselves as CTDs and lawyers?” he pondered.
Massive protests emerged after Khan was detained
Following Imran Khan’s detention in Islamabad on Tuesday, there were several large-scale and violent demonstrations all around Pakistan. The leader of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) was detained as he entered the grounds of the Islamabad High Court to attend the hearing of the Al-Qadir Trust case.
Pakistan Rangers, a government paramilitary law enforcement organisation, took him into custody. Videos indicated that the Rangers smashed off the glass windows to enter the room after PTI employees refused to unlock the door.
Khan has been detained in connection with the Al-Qadir Trust case, in which he and his wife Bushra Bibi are charged with forcibly buying land from a business tycoon. According to a report, they are under investigation by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) for allegedly collecting Rs 5 billion and hundreds of kanals (of land) from Bahria Town [a real estate corporation located in Islamabad] in return for the company’s defence in a money laundering case.
Leaders of the PTI have claimed that the ex-PM has been transferred to a “secret location” and raised concern that he would be tortured. According to local media, Khan will be introduced on May 10 at the New Police Guest House, Police Lines Headquarters in Islamabad.
In many cities around the nation, protesters flocked to the streets and got into fights with police and other security officials. In Quetta, there has already been one death and five injuries. Unrest was also reported from Lahore, Karachi, Peshawar, and Rawalpindi.
In light of the events, mobile and internet services have been halted throughout the nation. In Pakistan, access to Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube has also been blocked.