Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan on Tuesday announced his party will stage nationwide protests this Thursday (Sept. 26) for an independent judiciary, adding this will be followed by another nationwide protest on Friday and a public gathering in Rawalpindi on Saturday.
“If permission for the [Rawalpindi] rally is not granted, we will proceed with a protest,” he told journalists during an informal interaction on the sidelines of a hearing at Adiala Jail, where he remains incarcerated. The PTI had earlier announced it would stage a rally in Mianwali on Sept. 29 but has since announced it would stage the public gathering in Rawalpindi on Sept. 28 on the directions of Khan.
“Pakistan has completely become a police state,” he claimed, reiterating allegation of an “undeclared martial law” that is “harsher” than that of military dictators Ziaul Haq and Pervez Musharraf. “During Musharraf’s era, we held large rallies, but we were never treated like this,” he claimed, maintaining “everything” had been exposed by recent actions of the government.
“It has become clear that [Chief Justice of Pakistan] Qazi Faez Isa was part of London Plan,” he claimed, referring to his conspiracy about the security establishment devising a means to his ouster in meetings with PMLN President Nawaz Sharif while the former prime minister was in self-exile in London. “He [CJP] deceived the nation by not hearing our petitions from May 9 and Feb. 8,” he claimed, alleging the PTI’s “seats” were reduced by four through challenges to election results.
“The decision on the reserved seats has made everything clear. The chief election commissioner is not just a biased umpire, but also the opening batsman of their team, with Qazi Faez Isa as the second batsman,” claimed Khan, accusing them of acting with conflict of interest. “They [government] aims to secure a two-thirds majority and extend the terms of their umpires,” he added.
The PTI founder also alleged the CJP had “dismissed” former Supreme Court judges Ijazul-Ahsan and Mazahir Naqvi; both resigned separately, ostensibly in a bid to avoid corruption charges. He further backed Justice Mansoor Ali Shah on the ordinance amending the Practice and Procedure Act, accusing the CJP of seeking to establish a “dictatorship” through the legislation. The PTI, it must be noted, had opposed the original legislation when it was adopted by Parliament.
During his media talk, Khan also lamented over the announcement of the new ISI chief and derided Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi by describing him as a “puppet.”