The former Pakistan prime minister said political parties can unite the country but it was ironic that the PTI, which was the only party with a nationwide presence, was being “weakened”. | Photo credit: AP
Former Prime Minister Imran Khan has said that Pakistan is in danger of becoming secular as political instability and terrorism have brought the economy to the brink of collapse.
The 71-year-old founder of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) said on Friday (August 30, 2024) that the cash-strapped country’s fragile economy is the “biggest challenge” facing Pakistan but intelligence agencies are busy targeting a political party.
Mr Khan said the party was blamed for the recent wave of terrorism, but the government had then claimed that the terrorists had come from across the border.
Mr Khan said the country was facing the threat of sectarianism and as long as the country was plagued by terrorism, no one would invest in Pakistan. Dawn News Report.
Being a federal party, the PTI can deal with this grave situation as all other political parties are confined to their areas, Mr Khan insisted after attending court proceedings in the National Accountability Bureau reference relating to the Bulgari jewellery set, which Mr Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi had allegedly grabbed as gifts from the Toshakhana at a very throw-away price.
Mr Khan said political parties could unite the country, but it was ironic that the PTI, which was the only party with a nationwide presence, was “being weakened”.
Mr Khan has been lodged in Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi since August last year in several cases. He currently has more than 200 cases pending against him.
The government has accused him of masterminding the May 9, 2023 riots that followed his arrest in a corruption case, in which dozens of military installations were vandalised and set on fire. The government intends to hold a military trial of Mr Khan over the May 9 events.