Khan was speaking to the media at the induction of Pakistan Muslim League - Nawaz (PML-N) Karachi division chief organiser Syed Hafeezuddin into his party.
The PTI chairman said that Gilani should resign from the premiership under the light of his indictment in the Supreme Court of Pakistan today.
“The Supreme Court is operating cautiously in all its proceedings, so rather than pressurising it, you [Gilani] should resign as there is no justification for you [Gilani] to continue as the prime minister of Pakistan.”
Khan said that democracy is governed by “morality, not force,” as force “remains with the armed forces.”
“Why was this contempt done?” Khan questioned. “Was this done to benefit or to serve the people of Pakistan? No. This was done only to guard the plundered money in President Asif Ali Zardari’s Swiss accounts.”
Khan said that Gilani will not be able to take any action against anybody who is facing contempt charges. “You set an example for the people to follow. If Gilani has been indicted with contempt charges, how can he in the future question somebody who is found in contempt to the court?”
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1731666526-0/Express-Tribune-(9)1731666526-0-270x192.webp "watch salat al istisqa offered across the country on prime minister s appeal")
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There's a limit to stepping down due to accusations and charges. If there wasn't, people could easily make anyone leave office on a whim. It'd work like the blasphemy law. All you need to be is accused and you're done for. The limits are found in authoritative relations. It is made to sound prettier and more complicated than that but it isn't. Take Haqqani for instance. You can give all the reasons you want for it but what got him the most is he was not in a position to fight on even ground and it was all coming from above him and those above him are the established hierarchy. He was forced to act from a submissive position. The PM is different. They're supposed to stand their ground when pressured and in tight spots. If Imran Khan is as much of a leader as people claim he is, that should be common knowledge for him.
So for the budget deficit they now want to get into Zardari's private pockets? That's not going to cure inflation. If he is immune to prosecution there's nothing anyone can do. Law has the duty of protecting him until he leaves presidency.
Prosecute Musharraf along with him....that will make every Pakistani happy, because he gave Mr 10% a chance to be Mr 100% and still be immune.
This case will come back to haunt Imran Khan if he is elected next time. If Zardari is tried despite his immunity there will be many fingers pointing at Imran Khan in coming years. That will force him to abandon rebuilding the country and keep playing political games.
Two wrongs do not make one right.
An honourable PM would have resigned by now.
@Shirazi "Democracy requires majority not morality." Disagree
Majority allows you to form a government but does not give you democracy.
In a democracy it's all about people power but this is false in Pakistan.
Don't forget PPP needed coalition partners to form a government they did not win the election outright.
The PTI chairman said that Gilani should resign from the premiership under the light of his indictment in the Supreme Court of Pakistan today.
The PTI chairman should know the difference between and indictment and a conviction. For Imran Khan, who has built his career on populist stands that don't stand on merit and can't withstand scrutiny, making misleading statements against opponents is par for the course.
Imran Khan is the only hope for the country to survive. These people that support the corrupt and the shameless politicans, do not want to see a strong Pakistan. The only thing that is of worry, is that have we gone so far down, that the majority of people in the country have no ethics and integrity left, and are only concerned with themselves and how they can steal and make more money.
One could not agree more with imran khan !!God bless you!!!!
How is that? Four people from Musharaf cabinet who approved the NRO are with Imran Khan. What moral does justification Imran have to criticise? His party should remain focused on banning Shezan from LHC bar.
@Muhammad Usman: This immoral man then went on to build a free, well-run cancer hospital in Lahore. He is currently working on improving a University in FATA as well as rebuilding villages and infrastructure in flood-affected areas. He has also rekindled hope in an otherwise broken nation. He has admitted to his mistakes in his book and has changed over time, as he has grown older and wiser. The truth is that no one is a saint, but compared to the corrupt and selfish politicians of this country, who only care for their own interests, Imran Khan has many, many accolades.
You are entitled to your opinion, I'm just showing you the other side of the coin.
Dear khan he has already said that he would step down
@Ahmad:
I really don't understand the democracy argument that people give. Adolf Hitler was democratically elected. Hitler won the biggest landslide victory in German history (up to that point). Does that mean that opposing Hitler was tantamount to 'derailing the democratic process' ? This is a terrible argument and completely illogical.
What some people (specifically supporters of the PPP) do not understand is that winning an election does not mean the political party is free to do whatever it pleases for the next five years and no questions asked. If Mr Gillani decided to auction Pakistan off to the Chinese tomorrow, will the people of Pakistan be forced to accept this under the guise of 'supporting the democratic process' ?
@Shahid Khan:
No, i didnt forget, he was, but now he's a democratically elected PM. If you disagree with that decision, a decision made by the people, then you disagree with the democratic process. Its no surprise how IK is also fundamentally against this democratic process. You can also look beyond that to their respective parties. The PPP, which has come to power after every single dictatorship, the party that has suffered most during military dictatorships (including a judicially murdered chairman/PM), and PTI, which is PMLQ 2.0. Except the small minority people who are disgruntled PPP and PMLN people who were magically cleansed of their corrupt past the day they chose to join the PTI but were the bane of Pakistan's existence before then.
Well said Khan " democracy is governed by “morality, not force,” as force “remains with the armed forces.”"
Once our politician realized this, Democracy will prevail in Pakistan.
May the FORCE be with Imran when it his turn! he cannot rule without the force behind Him!
IK-the NEXT "NELSON MANDELA" OF MUSLIM WORLD
beleaguered prime minister, embattled country, what kind of destination we have secured?
The words,as above written has become sign of interrogation. who is responsible for?
I would like to say herein,friendship with the super power has taken us to the place where we are called embattled state. On the other hand,conventional wisdom has played such role in the internal affairs which has broken the executive badly,so the world describing us government with beleaguered prime minister.
Wandered street to street but never seen such politics as have seen here,our leaders go to the last extend for gaining power.
We need law abiding citizens and rulers not rhetorical actors.
@Ahmad Sir, i think you have forgotten that it was Gilani who was the speaker of Gen. Zia's assembly. Imran never took any official positions offered by the dictators.
@MX: Very hard to become prime minister, because he has no longstanding experience to the government and political affairs.
Democracy requires majority not morality. Imran Khan needs to get his facts straight. When he is turning PTI to Establishment League it's not to uphold morality it's to get majority. Elected representatives need to be voted in and voted out. Judges and opposition should not become establishment's B team. Shame on IMC and SC for strengthening mighty establishment yet again.
Having seen the present political situation of the country, every citizen of the state has come to the conclusion that a sever fight has begun in between institutions the same would be long which create more deprivation for common man.
Ahmad...get well soon...you still sleeping..not surprised to see pakistan in this mess..what a comment.....
He should write down as follows:
"Prime Minister of Pakikstan (Indicted)"
No doubt, it is a very sad day in the history of Pakistan that an elected prime minister has been indicted.
But you would see, as chief executive,he would never write the letter to the switzerland authority concerned,because he understand that president has absolute immunity from the court proceedings in criminal cases
Some are defensive, some are offensive, and many other are aggressive.
But common man,who is facing all the crisis created by bad governess and the fight going on between judiciary and center. Unfortunately,the country once again has come under the political crisis due to friction and stubbornness of concerned quarters.
Charges has been framed,prime minister pleaded not guilty,so countdown has begun.People of Pakistan is not interested to see who is winner,they are looking toward sky and praying for betterment but conventional wisdom is in action.
What is the solution of the problems and issues relating to the existing crisis,they must think ,at last they will have to search the solution,no angels would come from heaven.
Imran Khan for PM!
Democracy is about people not about speaking with force, Oh yeh please don't speak for politics , go & join DeP.
Kapten Saab,
You can now (soon) form the government with Hafiz Saeed and other members of the Difa-e-Pakistan movement. Let the true jihad begin.
Khan Sahab, Nobody is considered guilty until proven so. He has been indicted, but not convicted so far. So be patient and wait...
Does ever in the history of PPP there was any Moral Justification to be in power, they actualy punishing Pakistan and its peoples
the ppp leadership has already decided to provoke the supreme court into finding the gilani guilty so they can use this in the coming elections to gain sympathy from their voters on an anti punjab platform.this is nothing more than racist tactics being used by the ppp.already their agents in the news channels and social media are peddling the line that it's the big bad punjab that is trying to get rid of the govt. these anchors,bloggers,columnist deliberately omit the massive billions of rupees of loot and plunder and massive misgovernance that the ppp has done,instead all focus is on blaming everything on punjab and playing the race card against punjab.
IMRAN KHAN ... the next PM, InshALLAH
Gilani is a democratically elected PM. Enough said. IK might have forgotten that what with his closeness to military dictators and the armed forces. Who is IK to talk about morality regarding politics when he was the one who tried to bring down BB's second government as confirmed by Edhi? Didn't he use to support Pervez Musharraf as well? So please, Mr. K, don't try to take any moral high ground here. You don't have any.
Agree, the argument is logical. What is illogical is to expect moral behaviour from people who have no concept of this.