——- Ousted Premier claims PTI will bounce back in Feb 8 polls via “Plan C” despite losing ‘bat’, ‘batsman’ signs
——- Claims NAB, FIA, ACE, others part of “London plan”
——- Urges conduct of transparent elections to stabilise country
——- Vows to give opponents ‘big shock’ on Feb 8
ISLAMABAD: Despite recent setbacks, Imran Khan, the founder and former chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), on Wednesday vowed to give political opponents a “big shock” on election day despite the recent Supreme Court ruling upholding the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) decision to strip his party of its iconic “bat” symbol.
The top court’s verdict on Saturday favoured the ECP, leading to the PTI losing its ‘bat’ symbol just weeks before the elections. Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa, in the announcement, deemed the plea in the Peshawar High Court (PHC) inadmissible, citing that a single case cannot concurrently proceed in two high courts.
The court’s decision pointed out that the PTI failed to provide evidence of transparent intra-party elections, a prerequisite for all political parties. CJP Isa clarified that the ECP had consistently urged the PTI to conduct its intra-party elections since May 24, 2021, emphasising that the ECP’s actions were not discriminatory. The order highlighted that the ECP had issued severe orders against 13 other political parties.
Consequently, PTI candidates will now contest the elections independently, each with distinctive electoral symbols. The party also forfeited the right to reserved seats for women and minorities.
“Chief Justice is a Muslim and Allah Almighty has asked Muslims not to harbour excessive hatred even towards enemies. The Holy Qur’an is for all and our job is to remind,” Imran remarked while talking to the media in Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail.
He emphasised the need for transparency, expressing doubts about the justice system, and called for broadcasting proceedings in the prison live to enlighten the public about ongoing events.
Khan said that democracy was being bulldozed in Pakistan as per the London Plan —an alleged conspiracy to sideline his party and to end the cases lodged against his archrival, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supreme leader Nawaz Sharif.
Questioning who stole the footage of Core Commander House, Islamabad High Court and the GHQ attack, Khan asserted, “People are not naive; they know who possesses the means to steal the footage. May 9 events were part of The London Plan.”
PTI founder alleged that the Election Commission of Pakistan, the police and the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) were also part of the London Plan. “People are kidnapped and tortured, and if they do not comply, they end up in the ICU,” he added.
Former PTI chairman said that the top and second tier leadership of PTI has been removed from the political arena and his party’s election symbol bat has been snatched. “They are still afraid because people cannot be stopped,” he said and added that he has a “Plan C” up his sleeves and another plan as well.
Imran revealed that discussions had taken place with General (retd) Qamar Javed Bajwa despite the ouster of his government and free and fair elections were proposed as the solution to the country’s problems.
Imran Khan categorically stated that his party had never acted against the military, recalling instances where PTI did not retaliate even when gunfire was directed at them. He lamented the injustices suffered by some party members, leading them to leave the party.
The former prime minister said that neither he nor his wife Bushra Bibi has had any contact with the powerful circles. “The Chief Election Commissioner has taken actions that no one has ever taken. Cowardly enemies have no ethics and the same actions have been taken by the election commissioner,” he added.
The PTI founder said that whoever speaks against injustice is not a traitor, adding that he never threatened the ECP with Article 6. – Agencies
