ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s jailed former prime minister Imran Khan on Monday reiterated his call for “peaceful protests” outside his country’s General Headquarters in Rawalpindi, after similar comments made last week were interpreted by opponents as an admission of guilt.
The 71-year-old former cricketer turned politician said this during an informal conversation with reporters at Adiala Jail during the hearing of the fresh Toshakhana corruption case.
The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder stood by his statement telling reporters over a week ago that he had called for peaceful protests outside General Headquarters (GHQ) before the May 9 violence last year.
Khan claimed he had evidence that there was a plot to kill him outside the Judicial Complex in Islamabad on March 18, 2023.
“I have instructed my party to stage peaceful protests outside the headquarters and cantonment if the army and Rangers arrest me,” Khan said.
He also claimed that his statement about the protests outside GHQ was presented as if “I confessed to or committed a crime on May 9th.”
Asked about the May 9 violence, Khan said: “The protests were not peaceful as they were pre-planned. The CCTV footage is not being made public because our people were not there, which proves our innocence.” He said he would approach the court over the lost CCTV footage and sue the paramilitary Rangers for allegedly abducting him from the High Court premises.
Khan’s supporters staged violent protests after his arrest on May 9. The ensuing crackdown led to dozens of arrests and a case was filed against Khan for inciting violence.
His earlier statements regarding the GHQ protests were interpreted by his opponents as an admission of his guilt.
Khan also criticised the crackdown on social media, citing the arrest of 75-year-old PTI Secretary General Raoof Hasan, a cancer patient, and demanded a judicial commission to conduct a transparent investigation.
Khan defended social media as the democratic voice of the people and asked people not to call it “digital terrorism.” “Without criticism, institutions will be destroyed,” he warned.
Khan asserted that all institutions, including national security institutions, should accept criticism. He highlighted the support that judges who ruled in favour of the PTI received on social media.
He stressed that the army belongs to Pakistan and not to any political party and any alliance with the current government could have a negative impact on Pakistan’s credibility, economy and democracy.
“The government is afraid of the PTI and wants to dismantle it through the army,” Khan alleged.
Replying to another question, Khan accused the establishment of sabotaging the PTI in elections and facilitating the swift dismissal of corruption cases against former prime minister Nawaz Sharif.
Khan announced a massive rally in Swabi district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on August 5, the same day his party announced nationwide protests over the end of his one-year prison term.
Khan was arrested from his Lahore home on August 5 last year after being convicted in the Toshakhana case, a case filed by the Election Commission of Pakistan against him for concealing the sale of gifts obtained from a state-run storehouse.
Khan’s arrest in the Tosha Khana case was later stayed by the Islamabad High Court, but he was not released and was arrested in other cases. He remains in the high-security Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi.
The decision to hold a protest on the first anniversary of Khan’s arrest came after the party was unable to hold a protest rally in Islamabad on Friday as authorities banned such demonstrations in the capital.
Published July 29, 2024 19:39 IST
