Imran assails govt over tabling bill aimed at curtailing CJP's powers
Pakistan
Imran takes swipe at Interior Minister
LAHORE (Dunya News) – Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan launched on Tuesday a broadside at the government for tabling the bill aimed at curtailing the power of the Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP).
Addressing a press conference via video, Mr Khan said the government had decided to do legislation in a bid to mount pressure on the judiciary. "Today, the nation has come to know, that the government is trying its all-out efforts to escape the elections."
Taking a swipe at his political opponents, Mr Khan said, "The cases against all the rulers who plundered the national income for the past 30 years have been ended."
Mr Khan slammed the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), saying, "Even the books have been written on the corruption of these two political parties".
The deposed premier lambasted Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah, saying, "A person who is a hooligan and has no understanding whatsoever has been appointed as the interior minister. Sanaullah has a background of killing. The entire world has listened to his statement."
Recalling that nowhere in the world there existed a situation like Pakistan, Mr Khan cited the example of France. "The people of France are staging anti-pension reform protests. But not even a single citizen has been arrested by the France police from houses".
Earlier today, Mr Khan said his party would organise seminars in Karachi in a bid to highlight human rights violations.
PTI Karachi chapter president Aftab Siddiqui called on the deposed premier. During the meeting, lawmakers Arsalan Taj and Shah Nawaz Jadoon were also present. Mr Siddiqui informed Mr Khan about the "political vendetta" faced by the PTI in Karachi. Mr Khan boosted the morale of Arsalan Taj and Shah Nawaz Jadoon, who "faced the political victimisation".
In connection with the elections, Mr Khan assigned the leaders important tasks, adding that seminars would be organised in Sindh against human rights violations. He also vowed to address the seminar sooner in this regard.
"Raiding the houses of the PTI workers in Karachi is a violation of human rights. The constitution of the country is being violated persistently," Mr Khan lamented.
Read also: PTI vows to continue its mass contact campaign
Recounting "the contributions made by the PTI workers in Karachi", Mr Khan said, "The PTI workers from Karachi have always played a vital role in terms of moving forward our actual freedom movement. I would like to lavish praise on the workers for remaining determined despite facing the violence."
On the other side, Mr Khan said he was ready to participate in all the meetings of the All Parties Conference (APC) for the supremacy of the constitution.
Expressing his thoughts during his meetup with Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors (CPNE) President Kazim Khan, the deposed premier took a dig at Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah. He claimed, “Rana Sanaullah had a major role in terms of planning the assassination attempt on me".
“I have named the rest of two responsible before. All the three including Sanaullah had played a key role to sabotage the investigation in connection with the assassination attempt on me,” he claimed.
Continuing to berate Mr Sanaullah, Mr Khan termed the interior minister as “coward’, claiming that he [Sanaullah] was not the interior minister but the member of the “terrorist mafia”. “To know about the character of Sanaullah, it is better to ask from the father of Abid Sher Ali”, added Mr Khan.
Speaking about the elections in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Mr Khan said, “If the elections will not be held in its time, then one thing will be confirmed that there exists no rule of law in the country.” He urged the PTI candidates to continue the mass contact campaign in connection with April 30.
Slamming the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Mr Khan claimed that the PML-N resorted to the old tactics of targeting the judiciary in a bid to mount pressure.
