Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on Friday reiterated call for the public to “support” the Supreme Court to ensure democracy in the country is not derailed.
“All those who want democracy in the country should stand with the Supreme Court and the Constitution of Pakistan,” he said in a televised address from his Zaman Park residence in Lahore. Reiterating his allegations of the incumbent government “weakening” all institutions to foment hatred against them within the people of Pakistan, he warned that the only solution to this trend was agitation.
“If this trend continues, the nation must get ready to take to the streets for peaceful protests after Eid. I will lead you from the front,” he said.
Referring to the ongoing economic and security crisis, he urged the establishment to take corrective steps to prevent further deterioration of the country. He said no amount of “torture” against his party’s leaders and workers would force the public to accept “corrupt” rulers and lamented that the establishment had “sided” with the “mafia” to ensure that he not return to power. Attacks on the judiciary, attempts to block elections, and the weakening of institutions was all part of their “one-point agenda to keep Imran Khan out of power,” he claimed.
“They are working on their earlier claim that they have marked cross on my name,” he added, though this statement had been issued by Khan himself rather than any member of the ruling alliance.
Alleging that the federal government and the caretaker government of Punjab would soon launch another phase of detaining his party’s senior leaders and office-bearers after the 27th of Ramzan, he maintained that this would not succeed. “When a nation rises, violent tactics do not work,” he claimed.
On cases pending against him, the PTI chief claimed the prohibited funding case had reached its “logical end,” while the Toshakhana case would prove costlier for Nawaz Sharif, Asif Zardari and Maryam Nawaz than him.