Imran sees govt ploy to delay polls under security garb

While condemning the suicide attack inside a crowded mosque near Peshawar Police Lines, PTI Chairman Imran Khan on Wednesday claimed that the government was trying to delay the elections in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab under the garb of the security situation in the country.

Speaking via video link from his Zaman Park residence in Lahore, the deposed premier underscored that there was no ambiguity in Article 105 of the Constitution that after the dissolution of an assembly, elections would be held in 90 days.

“Whoever will trying to deviate from the Constitution will have to face Article 6,” he warned.

The PTI chief said he had opted for the constitutional way by sacrificing his two governments in two provinces to bring stability in the country and his strategy worked out well.

However, he added that now the government was attempting to run away from the elections on the pretext of security, because it was always used to playing a “fixed match”.

“They [current rulers] are used to playing by appointing their own umpires at their own pitches besides changing the rules during the game,” he claimed.

Read Dissolving assemblies was the best strategy, claims Imran

“Right now, they [current rulers] are trying to imprison the captain of the opposing team besides beating up his main players. They are waiting to completely disfunction the opposing team when they will call their 12th man from the UK [apparently a hint towards PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif] to play the match,” the former skipper of the Pakistan national cricket team hurled allegations at the ruling alliance in his own language.

Imran also spoke at length over the causes of deteriorating security situation in the K-P.

He pointed out that they he had categorically told former army chief Gen (retd) Qamar Javed Bajwa that the economic and security situation would spiral out of control if he allowed the regime change operation to succeed.

He stressed the need for free and fair elections in the country as the only solution to pull out the country from the current chaos.

“Only an elected and strong government formed through the public’s mandate can make difficult decisions and bring political and economic stability in the country,” he maintained.

During a televised address and earlier speaking to select group of journalists, Imran said he stood by his statement about PPP Co-Chairperson Asif Ali Zardari wherein he had accused the former president of financing a terrorist group to assassinate him.

“I welcome the defamation suit filed [against him] by the PPP,” he added.

“I have very solid information that Zardari is among the four people who are planning to assassinate me. Earlier they made two plans but failed, but this time they will try to give it a colour of terrorism, like some suicide bomber has attacked me,” he maintained.

He added that he even knew the names of other officials who were involved in this “conspiracy”.

Criticising the Punjab caretaker government, Imran said it had already appointed 13 of the total 22 anti-PTI officers in the province despite the party’s reservations against them.

He claimed that PTI leaders and activists were being implicated in cases over false charges.

“I have never witnessed such a caretaker government in the past that is involved in such activities and not focused on its prime mandate of holding free and fair elections,” he added.