In Islamabad, imprisoned former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday once again called on the powerful establishment to step back to allow free and transparent elections to be held in the country.
"If we want to save the country, the establishment must take a step back to move towards transparent elections," Khan said.
In Pakistan, the word "establishment" refers to the powerful army.
Khan, 71, founder of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party (), was speaking informally to reporters after the hearing of the Al-Qadir Trust case of alleged corruption against him at Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi.
He had made a similar demand and made almost similar accusations on July 5 in a detailed post by his official interlocutor X.
Khan, who has been held in this jail since September last year, also accused the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) of "historic" fraud in the February 8 general elections. "Everyone knows that the ECP conducted fraudulent elections," he said.
Khan, attacking Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa, said the country's top judge was sending his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party to the ECP to seek justice despite knowing that the elections were rigged.
“The (US) Congress is saying that fraudulent elections were held in Pakistan,” he said, asking why his party's petitions on human rights and the February 8 case were not being heard in the Supreme Court of Pakistan. Pakistan.
Khan, who is facing more than 200 cases and has been convicted in some of them, has already claimed that the February 8 general elections witnessed the "Mother of all frauds" and called his rivals the Pakistan Muslim League -Nawaz (PML-N). and the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) as “mandate thieves.”
In the elections, both the PML-N and the PPP individually won fewer seats than the 92 won by Khan-backed independent candidates. The two parties signed a post-poll alliance under which the PML-N won the chief minister's post and the chief minister's post of Punjab province, while the PPP won the presidential post and the prime minister's post. minister in the province of Sindh.
Khan has also said that the election fraud and the PML-N-PPP alliance were made possible by the blessings of the powerful military establishment.
On Wednesday, in response to a journalist's question about the role of the establishment, Khan said: “The establishment runs the country; the SIFC runs the country.”
The Special Investment Facilitation Center (SIFC) was set up last year as a high-level body comprising senior military and civilian officials to take decisions on economic issues to facilitate investment in the country.
Talking about the economy, he said the debt increased from Rs 2.8 trillion to Rs 8-9 trillion in the last four years. “The current government has destroyed the hope of Pakistan; “No one trusts this government anymore,” he said, blaming the elite for hiding their wealth abroad.
Khan also criticized the trial of civilians in military courts, asking: “In what democracy are civilians tried in military courts?”
When asked about his threat to go on a hunger strike, he said: “I will definitely go on a hunger strike; “I’m waiting for some decisions.”
Meanwhile, Khan has informed the Supreme Court that the issue of amendments to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) ordinance is not about himself but, in fact, relates to the entire country.
"This was not about personal gain but about the common good of our country and millions of Pakistanis who put their faith in a system that should serve them," Khan said in his written submission to the high court.
Khan said this while he was referring to an earlier court order, Geo News reported on Wednesday.
The founder's presentation comes as the Supreme Court, last month, reserved its verdict on the federal and provincial governments' statements challenging the high court's September 15 ruling by a 2-1 majority, which was announced by a court headed by former Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial.
In 2022, the PML-N-led Pakistan Democratic Movement government made amendments to the National Accountability Ordinance (NAB) which were challenged by Khan in the high court.
"If we want to save the country, the establishment must take a step back to move towards transparent elections," Khan said.
In Pakistan, the word "establishment" refers to the powerful army.
Khan, 71, founder of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party (), was speaking informally to reporters after the hearing of the Al-Qadir Trust case of alleged corruption against him at Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi.
He had made a similar demand and made almost similar accusations on July 5 in a detailed post by his official interlocutor X.
Khan, who has been held in this jail since September last year, also accused the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) of "historic" fraud in the February 8 general elections. "Everyone knows that the ECP conducted fraudulent elections," he said.
Khan, attacking Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa, said the country's top judge was sending his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party to the ECP to seek justice despite knowing that the elections were rigged.
“The (US) Congress is saying that fraudulent elections were held in Pakistan,” he said, asking why his party's petitions on human rights and the February 8 case were not being heard in the Supreme Court of Pakistan. Pakistan.
Khan, who is facing more than 200 cases and has been convicted in some of them, has already claimed that the February 8 general elections witnessed the "Mother of all frauds" and called his rivals the Pakistan Muslim League -Nawaz (PML-N). and the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) as “mandate thieves.”
In the elections, both the PML-N and the PPP individually won fewer seats than the 92 won by Khan-backed independent candidates. The two parties signed a post-poll alliance under which the PML-N won the chief minister's post and the chief minister's post of Punjab province, while the PPP won the presidential post and the prime minister's post. minister in the province of Sindh.
Khan has also said that the election fraud and the PML-N-PPP alliance were made possible by the blessings of the powerful military establishment.
On Wednesday, in response to a journalist's question about the role of the establishment, Khan said: “The establishment runs the country; the SIFC runs the country.”
The Special Investment Facilitation Center (SIFC) was set up last year as a high-level body comprising senior military and civilian officials to take decisions on economic issues to facilitate investment in the country.
Talking about the economy, he said the debt increased from Rs 2.8 trillion to Rs 8-9 trillion in the last four years. “The current government has destroyed the hope of Pakistan; “No one trusts this government anymore,” he said, blaming the elite for hiding their wealth abroad.
Khan also criticized the trial of civilians in military courts, asking: “In what democracy are civilians tried in military courts?”
When asked about his threat to go on a hunger strike, he said: “I will definitely go on a hunger strike; “I’m waiting for some decisions.”
Meanwhile, Khan has informed the Supreme Court that the issue of amendments to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) ordinance is not about himself but, in fact, relates to the entire country.
"This was not about personal gain but about the common good of our country and millions of Pakistanis who put their faith in a system that should serve them," Khan said in his written submission to the high court.
Khan said this while he was referring to an earlier court order, Geo News reported on Wednesday.
The founder's presentation comes as the Supreme Court, last month, reserved its verdict on the federal and provincial governments' statements challenging the high court's September 15 ruling by a 2-1 majority, which was announced by a court headed by former Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial.
In 2022, the PML-N-led Pakistan Democratic Movement government made amendments to the National Accountability Ordinance (NAB) which were challenged by Khan in the high court.
