Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman and former prime minister Imran Khan says he doesn’t know whether he will be disqualified or not, but it doesn’t matter because he believes his party’s popularity will rise. There is a wave. “Unprecedented” in the history of Pakistan.
He expressed these views while talking to American media group National Public Radio (NPR) when he was asked questions about the growing political crisis in Pakistan.
“What is happening is that the government is afraid of the elections. They are afraid that we are going to win the elections. So they are doing everything they can to get me out of the way, including murder, because I survived an assassination attempt. – [and I’m] very lucky to be alive,” Khan told NPR from his Zaman Park residence in Lahore.
“Exciting times here.” From inside what he called “fortress Lahore,” the house where supporters surround him, @ImranKhanPTI tells @NPR of his hope to make it to elections this fall. With @diaahadid https://t.co/rg2PZyMNDr
— Steve Inskeep (@NPRinskeep) March 24, 2023
Khan highlighted that it did not matter whether he was disqualified or not because “the wave of popularity of the party I am leading is unprecedented in our history.”
The former prime minister confidently said that whether I am in jail or not, the party is going to sweep the elections.
Commenting on whether he was confident that the elections would be held on time, Khan said that was his concern constitutionally, when the country dissolved its two provincial governments, the elections had to be held within 90 days.
Interviewer Steve Inskeep then asked the PTI chief what would happen if his party—the PTI—came back to power, referring to opposition claims that Khan had abused the media and other critics. cracked down on when he was last in power.
“Steve, my 3 1/2 years were the most liberal 3 1/2 years in our history. I mean — we never interfered with the judiciary, which has always happened in the past. We never interfered with the media. I didn’t interfere. The only time there were problems with the media was not because of us, it was because of the army, it was because of the army establishment,” Khan replied.
He further said that currently there are cases against not only him but also against all his senior leadership within five months. “They are running from court to court,” he said.
Inskip pressed the former prime minister to explain what his “attitude” would be to those he accuses of oppressing him if he were to return to power.
To this, Khan said that he “firmly believes” as he has been around the world as a professional international player that the difference between rich countries and poor countries is not lack of resources but the rule of law.
He said that countries that have rule of law develop, countries that do not have rule of law become banana republics. Therefore, our fight in Pakistan is to bring the powerful elite under the rule of law.
Khan said the rule of law means whoever breaks the law, actually you – they are held accountable.
