[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text dp_text_size=”size-4″]Former prime minister and chairman of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Imran Khan, stated that the coalition government is “petrified” of losing the elections.
Imran claimed in an interview with Al-Jazeera on Wednesday that the government was attempting to have him jailed and barred from running for office.
Because my party has so far won 30 of the 37 by-elections held in the past eight months, he said that the administration and those who support it are terrified of elections.
The PTI leader continued, “They want to either arrest me or disqualify me because they are terrified [of the fact that] my party is one of the most well-liked in Pakistani history.
In a police crackdown on an electoral gathering in Lahore on Wednesday, scores of PTI supporters were detained, hurt, and one was dead.
When police peppered party members with tear gas and water cannons for disobeying Article 144, the government’s ban on public gatherings, the PTI leader called off the protest. He declared, “It is obvious that the government opposes elections.
“Police had authorised the rally’s route and granted authorization, but the licence was abruptly withdrawn this morning, on Wednesday. Those attending a peaceful march were attacked with tear gas and water cannon by a large police detachment that had been mobilised, according to the ousted premier.
Referring to his assassination attempt, Imran said that his life is in danger. He claimed that those who tried to kill him are in power, questioning how he could run an election campaign and attend his court hearings in such circumstances.
“My life is under threat because the people who tried to assassinate me are in power … The question is how do I campaign and secure a safe environment? How do I go to courts? I made three court appearances and unfortunately there was just no protection there,” he added.
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The PTI president slammed the accusations against him as “frivolous” claiming that they are “simply one another tactic to have me out of the way to contest the polls”.
A simple query was asked, “How many court appearances do you make to handle 76 cases?” Imran emphasised that his injuries sustained during an attempted assassination prevented him from continuing to appear in court.
He claimed that he was unable to walk for four months due to three bullet wounds in his legs and that he had frequently requested security during court appearances, but no sufficient security measures were given.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
