RAWALPINDI: Former premier Imran Khan predicted a short tenure for the current government on Wednesday, estimating it to last only five to six months.
Imran highlighted several issues, including alleged corruption and economic challenges during an informal talk with media persons at Adiala jail.
Accusing the incumbent government of malpractice, the ex-premier referenced the cases of PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif’s sons Hassan and Hussain Nawaz. He accused Hasan of selling a house valued at less for double the amount, with the transaction being flagged by Britain’s National Crime Agency for its suspicious nature.
“Hassan Nawaz should be asked where he got the money to buy the house?” he said, further alleging that both Nawaz’s sons were “found guilty in the Panama case”.
Imran criticized the electoral process stating, “The caretaker government, election commission, and the establishment are all one.”
The PTI founder announced plans to hold a rally on March 23 with all opposition parties and stakeholders who became “victims of election rigging”. He said the party would invite JUI-F chief Fazlur Rehman, but expressed uncertainty over his participation.
Regarding economic concerns, Imran emphasized the pivotal role of overseas Pakistanis in stabilizing the economy, underscoring the need for political stability to attract foreign investment, “Only overseas Pakistanis can help us out.”
He expressed apprehensions over the IMF programme, stating that he was against landing another IMF plan prior to any form of political stability in the country, “I told the IMF not to issue loans until there is political stability in the country.”
Imran asserted that the May 9, 2023 events were ‘orchestrated’ to discredit his party, claiming he was targeted by being convicted in three cases within a week to undermine the PTI. “But their plan failed,” the PTI supremo said, anticipating his incarceration to end in the next five to six months after which the government would “end”.
Regarding the absence of the PPP from the cabinet, he claimed that they abstained due to skepticism about the government’s viability.
Addressing concerns about any animosity towards former president Arif Alvi, Imran clarified, “There is no resentment towards him.” He commended Alvi’s efforts to address issues. Imran expressed concerns over Pakistan’s strained relations with Iran and Afghanistan, stating, “The enemies of the country have benefited from the attack on Afghanistan.” He emphasized the need for positive relations with any Afghan government, saying, “There should be good relations with whatever government is in Afghanistan.”
Reflecting on past diplomatic efforts, he maintained, “During our time, the Afghan government assured to solve the problem of TTP.” He also asserted, “General Bajwa used to tell the corps commanders conference that I want to make General Faiz the army chief, although this was not even in my imagination.”
He alleged, “The general who conducted the dialogue between Afghanistan and the United States was removed at the behest of the Sharifs.” He criticized the PDM government for “neglecting Afghanistan” and labelled strained relations with both Afghanistan and Iran as foreign policy failures.
The PTI founder stated that K-P Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur sought funds from PM Shehbaz because he has to run the province. “He should have taken a picture with Shehbaz after they released the funds,” Imran remarked, adding that the funds will never be released because “no one is more unreliable than the Sharifs.”
He claimed Nawaz would soon leave for London.
Imran remarked that social media is a huge platform, clarifying that none of their official accounts posted tweets against the army martyrs.
He accused certain parties of spreading propaganda to create a rift between him and the army.
Imran emphasized the ISPR’s significance. However, he criticized its attribution of the social media anti-army campaign to a specific political party. “The ISPR should not have made such statements.” Meanwhile, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan Wednesday moved the Supreme Court, requesting the formation of a judicial commission to “inquire, audit and examine” the manner and process of the February 8 general elections held in the country.
The politician, who remains incarcerated at the Adiala jail following conviction in multiple cases, has filed the petition in light of the rigging allegations levelled by his party and others in the aftermath of “manipulation and fraud in the election results”.
The petition, filed by senior lawyer Hamid Khan on behalf of the PTI founder, urged that the apex court form of a judicial commission — consisting of serving SC judges holding no bias towards anyone — to “inquire, audit and examine the manner and process of general elections of 8 February 2024 and the developments that took place thereafter of compiling false and fraudulent results rendering winners into losers and losers into winners”.
Khan, in his plea, prayed that “all the consequential acts of forming governments at the federal and Punjab levels be immediately suspended” until the result of the judicial commission’s probe is made public.
“It is also prayed that all that is required to be done in the best interest of the nation, its electoral mandate and constitutional dispensation may kindly be ordered including requisite orders, directions and reliefs,” the plea added.
The government, Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (ECP), Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and Mutahidda Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) have all been named respondents in the plea.
According to the petition, the general elections were “openly rigged” with their results “manipulated”.
“The people allegedly elected and returned to Assemblies are be breaching the public trust by exercising the state authority by way of fraud,” it added.
The plea further read that the country’s Constitution cast a heavy duty upon the ECP to hold free, fair and transparent elections in Pakistan, but the polls were “massively rigged” and “manipulated with the help of Returning Officers (ROs) appointed by the electoral authority with involvement of even the caretaker set ups.
“It has failed to perform its duties as given in Articles 218, 219 and related provisions of the Constitution as result of the elections held on 8 February 2024 were massively rigged through the Returning Officers (ROs) appointed by Respondent No.2 and all care-taker governments were part of this fraud upon the electorate,” the petition added.
It should be noted that since the conduct of the general elections in Pakistan, several political parties as well as independent candidates have raised questions over the transparency of the polling process, which was held across the country last month.
Numerous protests and rallies were led by political parties and politicians who weren’t satisfied with the results, terming them “rigged” and manipulated” by the then-caretaker set ups as well as the electoral body. –Agencies
