Karachi: Former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan has claimed that the current “imported government” led by Shehbaz Sharif was trying to push him “out of the game” and called his ouster a “fixed” match to make Pakistanis slaves to foreign powers.
Addressing a huge rally here on Saturday night, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman sought to know from the people whether his government was a victim of “conspiracy or interference”.
The 69-year-old cricketer-turned-politician said that the purpose of his visit to Karachi was not in the interests of his political party but it was for the sake of Pakistan and the future of its children.
Talking about the foreign funding case against the PTI, Khan said that the case has been filed to kick him “out of the game” (political arena).
“I want to tell the nation that I’ve never been against any country. I’m not anti-India, anti-Europe or anti-US. I’m with the humanity of the world. I’m not against any nation. I want friendship with everyone but slavery with no one,” Khan said.
“I say foreign funding and his (Shehbaz Sharif’s) corruption case should be heard together,” said Khan as he alleged that “false cases” would be made against him and his former Cabinet by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).
The foreign funding case has been pending since November 14, 2014, and it was filed by PTI founding member Akbar S Babar who had alleged that there are some financial irregularities in the party’s funding from Pakistan and abroad.
“If you push us against the wall, then you will be harmed, not the country. We have to remain peaceful,” Khan told his followers, adding that he will never approve the “imported government”.
He claimed that the “conspiracy” was in the works for the past three to four months as turncoats, who quit his party, as well as some journalists began having meetings in the US embassy.
“My Pakistanis, I want friendship with everyone but I cannot allow our country to become a slave to anyone,” he maintained, adding that before coming to Karachi, people were telling him that his life is under “threat” as “mafias” are after him.
“[Nonetheless, I decided to come here] as my life is not as important as your freedom. This conspiracy is to make you slaves to foreign powers. One Mir Jaffer has been imposed on us via a conspiracy,” he said while referring to Sharif.
Syed Mir Jafar Ali Khan Bahadur was a military general who became the first dependent Nawab of Bengal of the British East India Company.
Jafar served as the commander of the Bengali army under Siraj ud-Daulah, the Nawab of Bengal, but betrayed him during the Battle of Plassey and succeeded Daulah after the British victory in 1757.
Explaining the alleged conspiracy against him that led to his ouster from the government, Khan told the people that he learned three to four months ago that US officials had started meeting the leaders of the then Opposition along with PTI’s dissident MPs and journalists at the American embassy.
“A journalist told me that ‘a lot of money is being spent on us’. Thus, the conspiracy had been in the works for a while and then our US ambassador met Donald Lu (US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs),” he alleged.
The former prime minister also continued to register his grievances against the judiciary and said he had never broken the laws of the land.
He sought to know what crime he had committed that the judiciary felt the need to open courts at midnight last Saturday.
“I created two of Pakistan’s biggest charity institutions. I created Shaukat Khanum and two universities. I am the only politician to have been declared sadiq and ameen (truthful and honest) by Pakistan’s Supreme Court,” he said.
Using cricket terminology, Khan said he knew the “match was fixed” when the vote of no-confidence motion was moved against him.
“What pained me the most was courts opening at midnight. Why didn’t the judiciary take suo motu notice and get the cable investigated when the then deputy speaker gave his ruling on a foreign conspiracy and why it remained silent when an open market was set up and politicians were being sold,” he asked.
The former prime minister also asked the Supreme Court why it did not investigate the cypher that was cited by the former deputy speaker.
“They (US) knew who was to assume power once I was ousted. Mir Jaffer was ready with his Ajkan (a knee-length coat buttoned in front, worn by men from South Asia.). He is an expert in boot polishing,” said Khan while talking about Prime Minister Sharif.
Khan had earlier quoted an internal communication by the Pakistan ambassador in the US, who in a cable sent to the Foreign Office, mentioned his meeting with a US official and the latter allegedly said Khan was a hurdle in ties with Pakistan.
Khan also criticised his successor Sharif and said there were several corruption cases against him in the National Accountability Bureau and Federal Investigation Agency.
“It is an insult to our country that a person out on bail has become prime minister of the country while his son also out on bail today became the chief minister of Punjab,” he said, referring to Hamza Shehbaz’s election on Saturday.
He also asked the PTI workers to continue peaceful struggle against the “imported government” and said that the nation wants fresh elections in the country.
The PTI leaders claimed there were a “million people” at Saturday’s rally.
