Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan. | Photo Credit: AP
Jailed former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Tuesday (August 27, 2024) reiterated that the army and the ISI were responsible for his condition and said his life was in danger.
Khan, 71, who has been lodged in the Adiala jail since last year, blamed the current government for avoiding criticism, deteriorating law and order situation across the country and ruining Pakistan cricket which has been facing repeated defeats.
In a post on X from jail, Khan reiterated his claims of rigged elections and said only a government with a genuine mandate would be able to carry out fundamental reforms.
“ISI controls all administrative matters related to my captivity. I am saying it again: If anything happens to me, the Army Chief and DG ISI will be responsible,” the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party founder said in a detailed post on Twitter.
Khan’s remarks came two days after the Pakistan government said the former prime minister could be tried in military courts in cases related to the May 9 violence last year.
Government spokesperson for legal affairs, Barrister Aqeel Malik, had said, “The Army Act was invoked to deal with the incidents and sabotage that took place on May 9 last year as military installations were attacked and damaged.”
On May 9 last year, violent protests broke out following Khan’s arrest by paramilitary Rangers from the Islamabad High Court complex in an alleged corruption case.
His party workers reportedly vandalised a dozen military installations, including Jinnah House (Lahore Corps Commander House), Mianwali airbase and the ISI building in Faisalabad. Mobs also attacked the Army Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi.
Khan’s lengthy post on X began by reminding the nation of two attempts to assassinate him: first in Wazirabad in Punjab province and then at the judicial complex in Islamabad.
He claimed that the ISI had stolen CCTV footage from Wazirabad and that the night before the attack in Islamabad, the ISI had taken control of the area where the attack took place.
“In their panic they have made my situation in prison even more difficult. The staff appointed to ensure that my food is not poisoned have been changed for the fourth time,” he wrote.
He also described the condition of his and his wife Bushra’s cell – ‘rats fall from above when she prays – and said the court has been informed about it.’
Khan further said that he has already explained why the Islamabad rally was postponed and it has nothing to do with “contact with the establishment”. “This entire government runs on lies; I don’t even read news about them. I have no contact with the establishment. If we negotiate with them, it will only be for the sake of the country and the Constitution,” the PTI supremo said.
Drawing a parallel to the situation unfolding in Bangladesh, he also made a brief comment: “Cattle can be driven in the desired direction, but not humans” and said, “The army chief, the chief justice and the police chief were all loyal to the prime minister (in Bangladesh), but when people took to the streets, they won their rights.” He added, “Anyone who criticises the regime is labelled a digital terrorist. When internet services were shut down, people protested, but those in power could not tolerate criticism. No one is allowed to voice their problems. The nation blames a specific institution for this.”
“What is his qualification? Under his rule, the law and order situation is deteriorating across the country,” the PTI leader asked, describing incidents of terror attacks in KP and Balochistan.
The former cricketer-turned-politician lamented the humiliating defeat against Bangladesh on Monday (August 26, 2024) and said it had set a new low. He also lamented the current state of cricket in Pakistan, saying: “The blame for this entire decline lies on one institution.”