Pakistan's democracy at 'all-time low': Imran

Former prime minister says govt 'petrified' of elections; judiciary only hope

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan has said that Pakistan’s democracy is at an “all-time low” and that the government is “petrified” of elections.

In an exclusive interview with Sky News on Saturday, the ousted prime minister said, "Democracy is at an all-time low. The only hope we have is the judiciary”.

He also stated that the ruling coalition fears being “wiped out” which is why they want to delay elections. “So, they have decided that the only way they will allow elections is if I am inside jail or killed,” he said.

In his first interview since he was bailed, Imran Khan has claimed democracy in Pakistan is at "an all-time low".

Speaking exclusively to @CordeliaSkyNews
, the former prime minister said the government fear being "wiped out" by his party at the pollshttps://t.co/rUfLTwr89c pic.twitter.com/IRiQ3MwdOp

— Sky News (@SkyNews) May 13, 2023

The PTI chairman made these remarks a day after his release on bail by the courts. On Friday, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) stopped the authorities from arresting Imran in any case, including undisclosed ones, filed against him anywhere in the country until May 15 (Monday).

The ex-PM was taken into custody by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on May 9 from IHC. Following his arrest, violent protests broke out across the country.

Read Imran asks ISPR to 'listen carefully' as he calls out senior military official again

In an unprecedented show of vandalism, PTI supporters had attacked and caused damage to the historic Corps' Commander’s House — known initially as Jinnah House and which once served as the residence of the founding father of the nation, Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah.

Talking about the violent protest in his interview, the deposed premier condemned “all violence”.

A day earlier, in his first address to the nation from Lahore after his release from NAB’s custody, Imran called for an investigation into the protests and vandalism that occurred following his arrest on May 9, asking Chief Justice of Pakistan Umar Ata Bandial to lead the investigation and "personally" chair the panel.