Former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan, who accused the US of ousting him from power in April last year, has reportedly launched an ongoing crackdown on his party’s workers and leaders. The US Congresswoman has sought help against Down. .
An alleged audio leak of Khan and US Congresswoman Maxine Moore Waters surfaced on social media on Saturday in which the former can be heard asking the US lawmaker to speak out against “human rights violations” in Pakistan.
“[This is] probably one of the most critical periods in our history. We have the most bizarre situation going on in this country,” the former prime minister reportedly told another person in the audio. She is believed to be a US Congresswoman.
In the 1.57-minute-long audio leak, the PTI chairman talks about the ouster of the US lawmaker and the subsequent crackdown on his party workers.
“I was shot three times in an assassination attempt. My government was removed by the former Chief of Army Staff [General Qamar Javed Bajwa] because the military establishment is too powerful here.
“He conspired with those who are in power now and brought down my government,” he alleged in the leaked conversation.
Khan added that his party was facing the “worst crackdown”, which, he said, had not been faced by any democratic party in the country’s history.
Requesting Congresswoman Waters to issue a statement in favor of her party, Khan said: “We would appreciate it here because when someone like you Maxine makes a statement, it goes a long way.”
“We just want the rule of law and the constitution and basic rights. We just want a statement that highlights [the crackdown] and it will really help us when someone like you Maxine speaks, it makes a lot of waves. Get up,” he added.
