Imran Khan, Chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), has stated that he is “willing to talk to anyone” for the sake of the country and democracy. The arrest came after a court ordered his arrest on charges of skipping proceedings in the Tosha khana case.
His arrest warrants were kept in force, and the police demonstrated their determination to execute them. As a result, he softened his stance and stated that he was willing to speak with everyone except the “thieves and looters.”
PTI Central Information Secretary Farrukh Habib indicated that Khan was willing to discuss free and fair elections, but not corruption. Shehbaz Sharif, the Prime Minister of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) had previously extended an olive branch to Imran Khan and emphasized that all political forces should sit down for a dialogue in order to resolve the country’s political and economic crises.
Imran Khan expressed his shock at the Rangers’ raid on his home, likening their actions to conquering Indian-held Kashmir. He stated that the raid made him feel like the most wanted terrorist in the country.
He continued by saying that he had prepared himself for court arrest on several occasions, but his party’s leaders and supporters refused to let him be taken into custody out of concern that he would be tortured, as had happened to Shahbaz Gill and Azam Swati.
The PTI leader claimed that he had given his signed guarantee to Ishtiaq A. Khan, President of the Lahore High Court Bar Association, that he would unquestionably appear before the court on March 18. Imran Khan believed that the failure of the law enforcement agencies to carry out court orders in favour of implementing the “London Plan” was the reason why the CCPO Lahore did not receive the undertaking.
Imran Khan branded Nawaz Sharif an escapist and threatened that Pakistan’s citizens would welcome him in a way he would remember for the rest of his life, even if he were put in prison. In his absence, the federal government, he claimed, was attempting to hold elections “to ensure the thieves and looters should win and retain the government.”
The PTI chairman claimed that despite being the subject of 85 FIRs, he had never broken any laws. He added ironically that he would soon reach the end of his “maiden century” and that if anyone could show that any of the laws in these 85 FIRs had been broken, he would resign from politics.
Imran Khan also spoke about tickets for polls, stating that he would personally distribute them. He urged those who did not receive party tickets not to react against the party to put it in a difficult position.
In a meeting with a group of journalists, the PTI chairman disclosed that he was the target of three assassination attempts. He asserted that he was “bound to believe that he would be tortured or even killed” if he had actively sought arrest. He continued by saying that although he had no assistance from the establishment, he still adhered to the notion that the law was supreme and that he would be in court on March 18.
Khan revealed that Parvez Elahi, the president of the PTI, had tested positive for coronavirus, which accounted for his absence over the previous few days.
