Imran says people will take revenge if he is assassinated

Former premier says conspirators have only ‘assassination option’ to get rid of him

FAISALABAD:

Former prime minister Imran Khan on Sunday asked the people to get justice to him if he is killed as his rivals were only left with the option of assassination to get rid of him.

“I got to know a few days ago that a conspiracy was being hatched against me behind closed doors… conspirators are confused now as to how to get rid of me,” the PTI chairman told a charged crowd in Faisalabad.

Imran, without naming anyone, said that they thought his government would fall during economic and Covid-19 pandemic crises but it overcame all challenges.

Sunday’s rally was part of his party’s so-called “real freedom” movement against the coalition government led by the PML-N.

The PTI chairman said that those who removed him from power expected that people would celebrate his ouster. “But instead of distributing sweets people took to the streets to protest against [my removal],” he added.

He said that amid fears that a “sea of people” would march on Islamabad, “conspirators” concluded that only way to do away with him was to take his life.

Imran said that he had recorded a video of all those elements involved in the alleged United States-backed conspiracy against him “so that if anything happens to me people should know about them (conspirators)”.

“Will you do it?” he asked the crowd.

“If people see this video then they should make sure that all those I have named should be brought before the court,” he added.

He also asked the people to pledge to never accept “slavery” and to never vote for those whose “money is stashed abroad”.

He said that a similar plot was hatched in the past to assassinate Liaquat Ali Khan, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Ziaul Haq. “But unfortunately no one was identified and caught,” he added.

Without naming names, the PTI chief once again reiterated that the alleged foreign conspiracy was executed with the help of Mir Jafar and Mir Sadiq — a reference to two historical figures from India who came to symbolise treachery after betraying their leaders in collusion with the British.

He also took the father-son duo, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Punjab Chief Minister Hamza Shehbaz, to task for coming to power while facing trial.

Speaking about the death of senior Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) officer Dr Muhammad Rizwan, Imran expressed concern that the investigator might have been assassinated as he was probing the corruption cases against political bigwigs including Prime Minister Shehbaz.

“I demand that Supreme Court take suo motu notice of his death… I will also reveal the name of poison which causes heart attack,” he added.

Lashing out at his political foes, the former premier said that the incumbent regime is composed of “thieves and criminals”, which he said is unable to control the economy.

“How can you handle the country? Rupee is depreciating and inflation is rising,” he questioned. Imran while referring to recent PM Shehbaz-led delegation’s visit to London to meet PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif said, “An absconder and thieve sitting in London making decisions of Pakistan”.

“The drug dealer is on bail and in the cabinet, and Asif Ali Zardari has become a godfather,” he remarked.

Commenting on Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari’s upcoming trip to the US, he warned that any assistance from the country would come with harsh conditions, including being asked to “serve India” and withdraw from causes Pakistan has been supporting.

He said that only those who have committed a major crime can get ministry in the current federal cabinet and claimed that Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah was behind 22 murders, not 18.

Regarding domestic policy, he said, “I increased employment opportunities in the country and Faisalabad textile industry broke all previous records due to my government’s export-oriented policies.”

Expressing satisfaction over his anti-government movement, the PTI chief said, “I am witnessing a new Pakistan is in the making which was created in line with the vision of Allama Iqbal and Quaid-e-Azam. People in large number are joining my movement for real freedom.”

He also paid tribute to his supporters particularly women for turning out in large numbers, asking them to join his party’s much-hyped long march on Islamabad. “I will give date for the long march after May 20… you have to join my long march to Islamabad for the real freedom.”

Noting that it was exceptionally hot out there, courtesy of the ongoing heat wave, he said, “People say it is very hot, if it is not hot for me then it is not hot for my youth as well.”

During his address, he also asked the crowd to ensure that no turncoat wins from Faisalabad in the future, adding on a lighter note that otherwise he would not visit the city in the future.

The former premier has time and again claimed that a “foreign conspiracy” was hatched to topple his government over his refusal to have Pakistan’s foreign policy be influenced from abroad. Since his ouster, he has held public rallies in major cities of the country.

He termed the newly formed set-up an “imported government” and lashed out at Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, saying the “decisive moment” had come for the people to decide if they wanted “slavery or liberty”.

On Saturday, he dropped a bombshell claiming an “assassination attempt” was being hatched against him – video evidence of which was kept in a “secure place”.

The PTI chief, who is poised to take the great leap to the federal capital, made the startling claims while addressing a charged public gathering in Sialkot.

In what was a prelude to his “Azadi March” as the country braces for another acrimonious chapter in the political landscape, Imran told his supporters a plot was being orchestrated against his life, saying: “I have named all those elements involved in the conspiracy in the video. I knew about it and I got full knowledge of it a few days ago.”

Ever since his ouster, Imran maintains the stance that the no-trust move was a result of a conspiracy hatched abroad by those who did not want Pakistan to pursue an “independent foreign policy”.