Former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on Saturday announced that he would lead his party’s election campaign with a huge public gathering in Lahore on Sunday.
“I ask my party and supporters to get ready. I will lead the election rally in Lahore tomorrow. I ask the people of Lahore to come out in numbers and you have to tell everyone that you are not cattle and will not accept oppression,” he said while addressing his supporters from his Zaman Park residence in Lahore.
Imran accused the current rulers of trying to escape from general elections and impose an emergency. “I know they will do something to run away from elections. They might stage a bomb blast or get someone murdered. They’re trying to kill me. They have made a plan and I have already told you [about it],” he added.
“Why do they want me in court so badly? There is no police there. No one is there for protection. They call us there where anyone can murder us because that is their intention.”
The former prime minister claimed that he is being called to court so that someone can murder him or send him to jail.
Requesting the Lahore High Court (LHC) to form a judicial commission over the killing of PTI worker Zille Shah, Imran said that the judiciary has a big responsibility on its shoulder to protect the fundamental rights of the citizens.
“You have a big responsibility on your shoulders as unidentified people are active. It is your time to take a stand. Zille Shah’s [murder] is your issue. It is custodial torture issue,” he added.
Imran Khan said that custodial torture is condemned in the entire world and Pakistan has signed a treaty against it.
“I ask the judiciary that this country is becoming a banana republic and you are the only obstacle. PDM government is in favour of court decisions which are only in their favour,” he said.
The former prime minister also asked the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to take the resignations of Punjab CM, Punjab IG and CCPO Lahore.
Condemning the killing of Shah, Imran said that he was deeply hurt by the incident.
“Every Pakistani including myself has been deeply hurt by the death of Zille Shah. He was a special child. They had broken his arm previously. He had done no wrong to anybody. Police carried out custodial torture on him. What they did to him for two to three hours is unimaginable. One of our party workers found his dead body and took it to Services Hospital,” he said.
“The way he was tortured my mind does not accept that. Who committed that is a psychopath. There were 64 torture marks on his body. He was tortured and thrown on road. Because of such incidents, Punjab Police gets a bad repute. These people do not consider people human but rather cattle.”
Imran Khan said that police first said it was a murder and then now they’re claiming that it was an accident, adding that police have now apprehended those who were with Shah in the police van.
“They spread lies and think the nation is a fool. Pakistan is being ruled by beasts. They’re only busy in covering up the murder,” he added.
Imran said that Shah’s private parts were also tortured. “Tell me in what kind of accident such areas get damaged.”
The former prime minister said that Defence Minister Khawaja Asif himself has asked officers not to take wrong directives from higher-ups but when PTI leader Shahbaz Gill said that same, he was tortured.
Lashing out at PML-N leader Maryam Nawaz Sharif for criticising the courts, Imran said that what she is saying depicts what is wrong with the country.
“Maryam is demanding all cases of Nawaz should be forgiven. This is our problem there is no rule of law in Pakistan. She is ordering to arrest people and ordering others to be forgiven.”
Imran said that Maryam was maligning the courts all over the place but no contempt of court notice is being sent to her.
Imran said that unidentified people decide whether someone is tortured or not as was evident in the reports of Azam Swati and Gill as well.
“As an ex-prime minister, I tried to get an FIR of my wish registered but I was unable to do so because of the unidentified people… and I am a former prime minister. What would happen with common people,” he questioned.
He said that those who are in power were involved in the murder of senior journalist Arshad Sharif and the same people also tried to assassinate him. “How will I get justice since they are in power,” he asked.
“What happened with Zille Shah is happening with every poor citizen of Pakistan. The powerful can do anything in this country. There are forces that can do whatever and no questions will be asked.”
Imran said that the current rulers only fear elections as they know PTI will emerge victorious so they want to get rid of him. “A person who is convicted by courts is running the country and his daughter is openly criticising courts,” he said while referring to former prime minister Nawaz Sharif.
“I have decided that I will fight till the last drop of my blood. You have to stand with me for yourself. Pakistan cannot be run like this,” he further said.
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