Ex-prime minister Imran Khan slammed Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Raja Sultan on Wednesday, saying he is anti-PTI and has issued numerous verdicts against his party.
The PTI chairman spoke at length on social media about his party’s challenges and problems since taking power in August 2018, emphasizing that NRO II will be disastrous for the country.
“Ex-President Pervaiz Musharraf gave Asif Zardari and Nawaz Sharif NRO I, and now if they both get NRO II, no one will accept the justice system in Pakistan, and it is dangerous for the country,” Imran Khan said.
Imran Khan was speaking during a Twitter Spaces session that drew hundreds of thousands of listeners from all over the world.
The former prime minister has recently held rallies and public gatherings in the country as part of the PTI’s campaign to galvanize public support for an early election in the country, and his participation on Twitter was also part of that campaign.
Speaking about the current political situation and his ouster via the no-trust motion, the ex-prime minister stated that in his first speech after taking office, he stated that they all [the current ruling alliance] would unite against him.
“I stated in my very first speech as Prime Minister that in the name of democracy, all other parties will campaign against me,” he said.
Imran Khan opens fire on former aides
Without naming names, but clearly referring to his disgruntled party members Aleem Khan and Jehangir Khan Tareen, Imran Khan stated that they attempted to take advantage of the PTI’s government.
“Some of our people thought they would make money after we took power, but we tried to stop them,” he added.
“When sugar prices rose to Rs26, our government tried to stop them, but those people exposed themselves,” Imran Khan continued.
‘CEC is anti-PTI’
Khan also expressed his displeasure with Chief Election Commission (CEC) Sikandar Raja Sultan. On Monday, Khan stated that a stalemate had emerged between the then-opposition and the government over the appointment of the chief election commissioner.
In light of the situation, the establishment suggested Sultan’s name, he said, adding that the CEC should be appointed by an independent body.
During the Twitter Spaces session, Imran Khan stated, “CEC Sultan Raja is too anti-PTI as he has announced many decisions against our party.”
“If an investigation into the party funding of all political parties, including PML-N and PPP, is conducted, I can challenge that only PTI has proper data of foreign funding, whereas both PML-N and PPP will be unable to provide such data,” he asserted.
Lettergate
Concerning the “letter gate” conspiracy, in which Imran Khan claimed that the US government was involved in ousting him from power through a no-trust motion, he stated, “I had invited the heads of the then opposition alliance to see the letter, but they did not come.”
The ex-prime minister went on to say that no one should speak out against the Pakistan Army because the country needs it more than Imran Khan.
“When Nawaz Sharif was ousted, he began speaking against institutions,” he said, adding that “the country would have been divided into three pieces if the Pakistan Army had not been there.”
‘Traitors’
The PTI chairman also called dissident party MNAs traitors. It is worth noting here that, prior to the no-confidence vote against Imran Khan, approximately 24 members of the PTI announced their intention to leave the ruling party.
“During the current scenario, many electables remained with us, but several of them betrayed us for their personal gain,” he said.
‘Allies were blackmailing’
Imran Khan commented on the country’s upcoming election preparations, saying, “I did not give party tickets in the 2018 elections, but this time I will give tickets after a proper scrutiny.”
Imran Khan also referred to his experience as the “worst of all” when it came to running the country with a coalition government.
He stated that his government had gone through a difficult period because the PTI had a razor-thin majority in the National Assembly.
“Because of the coalition government, we were blackmailed most of the time, and every time the PTI government had to compromise for passing laws,” he said, adding, “therefore, I ask the masses to vote for the PTI next time for a clear majority so we can build a strong government.”
