-Says he knew about assassination plot beforehand
-Reveals two people shot at him during Long March
-Unveils four bullets hit him in legs
-Calls on CJP to ensure justice
-SKMH doctors explain details of Imran’s bullet injuries
-Asad Umar announces protests across country at 5pm today
From Abid Usman
LAHORE: After being shot and injured in an assassination attempt while standing atop a container during his long march, PTI Chairman Imran Khan finally decided to break his silence and said that he had learned about the looming danger beforehand.
“I had already learned that there was a plan in place to kill me somewhere between Wazirabad and Gujrat,” Khan said as he spoke during a televised address while still being admitted at the Shaukat Khanum Hospital in Lahore where he is receiving treatment for his injuries. The PTI chairman claimed that as against initial media reports, he sustained four bullets in his shin.
Providing details of how “they” [government leaders and others] planned to assassinate him, Khan said, “they used similar methods they tried using against [former Punjab governor] Salman Taseer”.
“They tried to accuse me of blasphemy to turn the public against me,” he said, adding that his party was not created under the patronage of any military establishment and he came to power after 22 years of struggle.
Speaking directly to Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa, PTI chief Imran Khan urged him to act against the general he named. He added that his party was giving “constructive criticism”. He stated that the nation was headed for chaos and urged the COAS to investigate him.
Khan called on Chief Justice of Pakistan Umar Ata Bandial, saying that the leader of the country’s biggest party was “not getting justice”. “CJP, whatever was done to me in the last six months, I can assure you it has never been done by the country even with an enemy. “I won the highest civil awards I raised the respect of Pakistan in cricket the Shaukat Khanum hospital is internationally renowned. I made two universities. And then I created the biggest party in the country,” he said.
At the beginning of his address, Khan started berating the incumbent government and lamented how his government was ousted through a motion of no-confidence.
“The government could have never lost the no-trust move, but they [the coalition leaders] used money to become successful,” he said, adding that the PTI-led government also had the financial means to engage in horse trading but it refrained from doing so. He said that when the PTI was in power, the then-opposition took out three long marches against the government but “we didn’t stop anyone.”
“During the last long march, police, upon the coalition government’s orders, barged into people’s houses at 3am and tortured people. They put them behind bars and tear-gassed peaceful protests in Islamabad. When decisions are made in closed rooms”.
Khan accused the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and said that the body was involved with the incumbent government to sideline the PTI.
“In the July 17 byelection, the ECP resorted to all sorts of rigging tactics,” he alleged. “They employed all manoeuvres to discredit me, resorted to mudslinging, and filed cases against me, government machinery was used and the election body stopped the implementation of electronic voting machines (EVMs). “[Despite all their efforts, the PTI still won the elections],” he said.
The former premier added that the ECP became a tool of the coalition government to disqualify him in the Toshakhana reference. He added that accusations levelled against him in the Toshakhana case are baseless as all the records are available in the Toshakhana.
“Despite knowing nothing could be stolen from the Toshakhana, the ECP disqualified me in that case because they wanted to create a level-playing field for Nawaz Sharif.
Khan added that he cannot be compared to the [Sharif family] which has billions of assets abroad and live in the most expensive apartments in London.
He stated that the party would approach the court against the ECP’s decision to disqualify him, claiming that Chief Election Commissioner Sikander Sultan Raja was a “servant of the Sharif family”.
Concluding his address, PTI chief Imran Khan again vowed to take to the streets once he has recovered from his injuries. “As soon as I get well, I have decided to take to the streets and will give the call for Islamabad,” he said, urging the nation to not compromise on their freedom.
“An enslaved nation is not respected in the world. It can never progress.” He called on the people to take part in his protest and to demand the resignation of the three people he held responsible for the plot to kill him.
Before beginning his address, Khan asked PTI stalwart, Dr Faisal Sultan, to brief the masses about his health condition while revealing that he was hit by four bullets.
Dr Sultan displayed Khan’s X-ray reports on a screen and highlighted the details of the injuries that the party chief sustained — including a fracture — among other injuries.
PTI leader Asad Umar has announced that there will be protests in “all cities” at 5pm. “The site for each protest will be announced by the local teams,” he said.
“Show them that no one can suppress a truly free nation. I will participate in the protest at Liberty Chowk, Lahore,” he stated in a tweet posted Friday.
