Imran sees govt ending in six months

Says PTI not involved in anti-martyrs smear campaign; warns IMF money will be wasted without political stability

RAWALPINDI:

PTI founder Imran Khan has denied party’s involvement in social media rhetoric against army martyrs.

During an informal exchange with journalists at the £190 million reference hearing in Adiala Jail, Imran Khan emphasized that his party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), was not engaged in any derogatory discourse on social media targeting the army martyrs.

He alleged that individuals behind the theft of CCTV footage from the May 9 tragedy were attempting to sow discord between PTI and the military.

Imran also claimed that the current government would last only five or six months and until then, he would stay in jail and awaited the departure of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo to London.

“PTI is not involved in the rhetoric against the martyrs of Pakistan Army on social media. This army is ours, why should we be against it,” he said. “The same people who stole the CCTV footage of the May 9 tragedy are involved. They will try to create a rift between the army and the PTI through social media.”

He said that the martyrdom of Lt-Gen Sarfaraz Ali in the helicopter crash in 2022 had saddened him and it caused an irreparable loss to the army. “No tweet was made against the martyrs of the army from any of our official accounts,” he insisted.

Accusing certain quarters of orchestrating the May 9 attacks to portray PTI as traitorous, Imran criticized the politicization of matters by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the military's media wing.

He argued that ISPR's comments regarding a specific political party’s involvement in social media campaigns should have been preceded by consultation with PTI.

“The ISPR should ask us first in this regard.”

Imran Khan reiterated his skepticism regarding the longevity of the current government, predicting its demise within five or six months. He cautioned against the potential repercussions of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) program, foreseeing a surge in inflation rather than stability.

He alleged collusion among the caretaker government, the Election Commission, and the establishment. He asserted that the election, built on deception, had laid bare systemic flaws. Imran pointed to widespread calls for the resignation of the chief election commissioner (CEC) as a testament to the prevailing discontent.

Regarding the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), Imran noted their reluctance to participate in the cabinet despite being part of the coalition. He suggested that the PPP's hesitation stemmed from a lack of confidence in the current governance structure's viability. “They know that this setup will not work”.

Imran underscored the importance of political stability in the country, otherwise, he warned that the money borrowed from the IMF would go waste. “I told the IMF not to issue loans until there is political stability in the country,” he said.

“There is no point in borrowing from the IMF unless we increase our sources of income,” he said. “The biggest problem in our economy is the shortage of dollars. We have the key to bring dollars into the country,” he added, in response to another query.

Read Imran moves SC, seeks judicial commission against Feb 8 'poll rigging'

“It is possible through overseas Pakistanis,” Imran said, while explaining how the country’s economic issues could be mitigated.

“Only overseas Pakistanis can get us out of the current situation [but] the Overseas Pakistanis will only invest [in the country] when there is a stable government,” he added.

Imran was also asked about the Pakistani strike against militant targets inside Afghanistan. He said that it benefited the enemies of the country. “There should have been good relations with whatever government is in Afghanistan. Deterioration of relations with Afghanistan will increase terrorism.”

He recalled that the previous PTI government held the dialogue between the Taliban and the United States. “During our time, the Afghan government had assured us of resolving the TTP [Tehreek-e-Taliban, Pakistan] problem and the terrorism would [have] ended forever,” he said.

The former prime minister claimed that he had told the then army chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa not to change then Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) director general Faiz Hameed, because Gen Faiz could resolve the problem of terrorism.

He alleged that later, Gen [now retired] Bajwa used to say in the Corps Commanders Conference that Imran Khan wanted to make Lt-Gen [now retired] Faiz the army chief. “The thought of making Faiz Hameed as the army chief never crossed my mind,” he added.

“Gen Faiz, who conducted dialogue between Afghanistan and the US was removed at the request of the Sharifs. By removing Gen Faiz, Bajwa thought of personal benefits and not of the country’s interest. And through the regime change, I was stabbed in my back,” he said.

Imran also alleged that the previous Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM)-led coalition government, which replaced his PTI-led dispensation after a no-confidence motion in April 2022, did not pay any attention to Afghanistan. “Bad relations with Iran and Afghanistan are a foreign policy failure.”

About a meeting of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif earlier this month, Imran stressed that Gandapur met the prime minister to get the province’s money due against the Centre. “Gandapur has to run the province and he needs money,” Imran said.

When asked why he said that Gandapur should not have taken the picture with the prime minister, he said that the photograph should have been taken after receiving the money from Centre. However, he was sceptical about the release of the provincial funds.

About his court cases, Imran said that he would stay in jail for five or six more months after which the government would end. He claimed that he was given punishments in three cases in one week to crush the PTI but this “plan has failed”.

About the proceedings in the £190 million case, he said the money had come to Pakistan from Britain, therefore, it was necessary to keep the matter confidential. He added that it was unique case because there was no theft, the money was with the government, and the Al Qadir Trust was running.

Imran insisted that he had no resentment for former president Dr Arif Alvi, saying that he tried his best to resolve the issues. Similarly, he added, his former ally, Sheikh Rashid and former adversary Maulana Fazlur Rehman would be invited to a party gathering on March 23.