Pakistan’s former Prime Minister Imran Khan criticizes opponents, day after his jail interrogation

Islamabad: A day after being questioned over a provocative social media post, jailed former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Sunday launched a scathing attack on his opponents, including the chief justice, the establishment and his rival politicians.

The 71-year-old founder of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) posted a message from Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi on his X account that the government would reportedly bring about a constitutional amendment to rewrite the rules governing the highest judiciary.

The former cricketer-turned-politician slammed the government for trying to change the laws to control the judiciary.

“The occupying mafia and its henchmen are fighting only for their survival, regardless of the national interest. The attack on the independence of the judiciary is also a link in this chain. All the institutions in the country have been destroyed. What remains is the Supreme Court, which is the last hope and support of the nation,” he said.

Khan alleged that an “attempt is being made to destroy this last hope of the nation through a constitutional amendment and once again the entire institution and system of the country is being put at stake to give extension to the person of choice”.

He said “efforts are being made to bring (Chief Justice) Qazi Faiz Isa to trial through the new constitutional amendments to prevent a transparent investigation into human rights violations and election fraud.”

Khan alleged that the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) had won less than 20 seats but that the party was preparing to attack the judiciary in exactly the same way the PML-N government attacked the Supreme Court with batons in 1997.

“The only difference is that this time the attack is being carried out by removing the powers of the judiciary. But I want to make one thing clear today: the entire nation stands behind the judiciary,” he said.

“If they think that we will sit quietly, then it is their mistake, we will not accept it under any circumstances. Let me make it clear that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf will at least stand with the judiciary of the country. We will call for mass protests across the country,” he said.

Khan also spoke about the case filed against him by the Federal Investigation Agency for attacking the judiciary and the military in a tweet on Friday. He said a case was filed against him for highlighting the Hamud-ur-Rehman Commission report, which investigated the 1971 debacle.

“If the Hamud-ur-Rehman Commission report had been implemented, there would have been no martial law in the country,” he said, adding that even now there is an undeclared martial law in force in the country.

Khan alleged that the ruling PML-N and its coalition partner Bilawal Bhutto Zardari’s Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) are not parliamentary parties but are like puppets dancing on the cues of a few individuals.

“The boot is being respected by saying the vote should be respected,” he said in an insult to Nawaz Sharif, who had demanded respect for the vote after he was ousted from the government in 2017.

He said the government and its supporters would completely enslave the country and wondered how people from the parliament could be arrested without the will of the Speaker.

The PTI leader said, “What happens to us today can happen to them tomorrow. So far, no one has been forcibly removed from Parliament.” Khan also said that Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif would be punished in the money laundering case during his government and claimed that then army chief Qamar Javed Bajwa had bailed him out.

He said that apart from the money laundering case, all the cases against Shahbaz Sharif, Nawaz Sharif and Ishaq Dar were old.

Khan also spoke about the drug possession case registered against PML-N leader Rana Sanaullah during his rule by the Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF), which is under the control of the military.

“The head of ANF was a major general. I called the head of ANF and asked him about the case. He had come to inform the cabinet and present the evidence regarding the case of Rana Sanaullah. He told us that drugs were seized in Sanaullah. Before us, no one had the courage to call him and ask the question about his own opponents in the cabinet. Why did you file this drug case against them,” he asked.

Khan also said that when journalist Matiullah Jan was arrested, he ensured that he was released.

The former prime minister also spoke about his party’s planned rally in Lahore on September 21.

“Political gatherings are our democratic and constitutional right. Whether we get permission or not, we will hold a gathering in Lahore on September 21,” he said.

Khan said barricades had been erected in Islamabad for the September 8 demonstration, but his supporters had joined them themselves.

“Has Punjab become a police state so that we are not allowed to hold any demonstration? We are preparing the party for street movements. I am telling my country and party to prepare. Whatever happens, the current regime will be responsible,” he said.

He concluded the message by saying, “When there is a war of freedom, sacrifices have to be made. I have been wrongly imprisoned for one and a quarter years. Isn’t this a sacrifice? I believe in ‘La ilaha illa Allah’. I am ready to sacrifice my life, but I will not accept anyone’s slavery. I also tell the nation not to accept their slavery.” The content of Khan’s statement is not much different from his previous social media posts, as he attacked the head of the judiciary, the army and his political opponents, mainly from the PML-N.

The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on Friday filed a case against Khan for allegedly inciting rebellion against the government and state institutions through posts on the social media platform X.

The FIA ​​Cybercrime Wing launched an investigation and the investigation team led by Deputy Director Ayaz Khan interrogated the PTI founder for about 45 minutes at Adiala Jail on Saturday.