Imran Khan said that there is absolutely no such case which can disqualify him from contesting elections.
Islamabad:
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman and former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan alleged that the federal government was determined to oust him from politics, The News International reported.
He said that they are trying their best to disqualify him before the general elections.
Referring to cases registered against him across the country, Khan said on Thursday that “attempts are being made to disqualify me from politics”, in an interview with a UK-based broadcast.
“They are trying their best to disqualify him before the general elections in the country”, Khan said, adding that “new cases are being filed” against him every other day.
However, he claimed, “There is absolutely no case that could disqualify me.” Notably, Khan’s government was brought down through a no-confidence motion in April last year.
Furthermore, he was disqualified by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on October 21, 2022 in the Toshakhana reference.
In August 2022, National Assembly Speaker Raja Pervaiz Ashraf sent a reference to the ECP under Articles 62A, 63A and 223, seeking disqualification of the PTI chief in light of the Toshakhana scam, The News International reported.
The 28-page reference identified 52 gift items from Toshakhana received by Khan, in violation of law and regulations, were transported at nominal prices and most of the gifts, including some precious watches, were sold in the market.
The appraised value of the gifts has been pegged at over Rs 140 million. The gifts were received between August 2018 and December 2021.
Meanwhile, on 11 October, the FIA registered a case against the PTI chairman in a banned funding case as the agency intensified its probe into the matter.
In the FIR, the federal agency alleged that the Abraaj Group transferred USD 2.1 million to a PTI account in a bank branch located at Jinnah Avenue in Islamabad, The News International reported.
On August 22, 2022, the ECP declared in a unanimous decision that PTI had received banned funds. The matter was earlier referred to as a “foreign funding” case, but later the Election Commission accepted PTI’s plea to refer it as a “prohibited funding” case.
The commission found that the donations were received from the US, Australia, Canada and the UAE.
The ECP ruling states that PTI received funds from 351 businesses, including 34 individuals and companies.
Besides, the federal government had moved the Supreme Court (SC) seeking initiation of contempt proceedings against Imran Khan for violating its May 25 orders, reported The News International.
The ECP was also taking contempt proceedings against Khan and other PTI leaders. The election watchdog issued arrest warrants against Khan, Asad Umar, Fawad Chaudhry and others for failing to appear before the commission on January 10.
Talking about the deepening crisis, Imran Khan said that the only way for Pakistan to achieve economic stability is through free and fair elections, reported The News International.
“The damage has been done. It’s only going to get worse – the longer this government is in power,” he said.
The PTI leader expressed apprehension that Pakistan may end up in a Sri Lanka-like situation.
He was of the view that a government supported by popular mandate could steer the country out of economic crisis.
Khan said he “doesn’t feel safe”, adding that he would use bulletproof screens at rallies to prevent any further attacks, The News International reported.
In November last year, Khan was injured after a man opened fire on him in Wazirabad near the party’s reception camp, leading to a stampede among participants of the November 3 Long March.
“There is no question of hiding,” he said and vowed to go out for campaigning for the upcoming general election.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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