Imran slams ‘use of state machinery against PTI workers’

Says Pervaiz Rasheed’s sacrifice not acceptable

Says nation wants the sacrifice of a horse, not a mule

 ‘I want to tell judiciary that it is their trial, not mine’

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan speaking to reporters on Sunday claimed that state machinery was being used to hide Prime Minister’s Nawaz Sharif’s crimes.

Addressing workers outside his Bani Gala residence, the party chief said, “To save one criminal, you can see how much of the country’s money is being squandered. To hide his theft and corruption, the entire state machinery being employed… there are helicopters, police, checkposts.”

The PTI chief said the Islamabad High Court (IHC) should take suo motu notice of the situation in the capital.

“Their containers and tear gassing lead to death of an infant. The death of a colonel happened only because of the closure of roads using containers. Two FIRs should be registered against Shahbaz Sharif for these crimes,” he said.

Speaking about the recovery of weapons and alcohol from PTI leader Amin Gandapur’s car, Imran claimed the government are “masters of this”.

“The weapons recovered from Gandapur’s car were for his personal protection, as our office bearers have been targetted by the Taliban in the past,” said the PTI chief.

Imran added the weapons recovered were legal and licensed. He also said Gandapur was on his way to meet his party chairman, and was not doing anything illegal.

“They wrongly arrest people and then ‘find’ things in their cars,” he alleged.

“They are picking up people and locking them up. Why have we been locked in? What is my crime?” the PTI chief asked, as dozens of protesters trying to reach Bani Gala were arrested by police on Sunday.

He commented that such kind of situation was not witnessed even during Musharraf’s regime.

The PTI chief said it was possible the date for the planned ‘lockdown’ may extend to November 3 or November 4 due to attempts made to ‘stop’ the siege of the capital.

“We have given Nov 2 as the date. If they try to stop us, it may be Nov 3 or Nov 4. But we will not be stopped. I will not stop till my last breath,” Imran Khan vowed.

“Nawaz Sharif, do what you want. We will not let you digest the money you have stolen. This nation will ask you for accountability.”

“Once again, I will ask the judiciary of Pakistan: what kind of democracy is this? The government does not obey law or court rulings.”

‘Pervaiz Rasheed a scapegoat’

Imran Khan said former Information Minister Pervaiz Rasheed, who was asked by the prime minister to step down from his post, has been made a scapegoat but the nation “demands much more”.

Khan said, “The nation wants the sacrifice of a horse, not a mule.”

“Rasheed could not speak without a signal from ‘his masters’ to do so. He could not dare to anything on his own. He just obeyed instructions,” Khan added.

“People are not ready to accept the sacrifice of an associate,” he said. “We want to know who was the one from the ‘royal family’ who directed this entire drama.”

He also reiterated his ongoing criticism of the government for its actions in the days leading up to his scheduled November 2 protest, and said it has “gone out of its way” to restrain the party from exercising its constitutional right of protest.

PTI chairman also questioned as to why Chaudhry Nisar was defending a corrupt person.

He urged party workers to reach Bani Gala even if they had to climb mountains to do so.

He also said the Islamabad police did not spare female protesters of PTI but there was no Section 144, an order which bans public gatherings, for Difa-i-Pakistan Council.

Khan said the credibility of the judiciary was at stake as, according to him, the government was violating laws and had committed contempt of court.

“I want to tell the judiciary that it is their trial, not mine.”

A day earlier, Khan had said the country’s institutions for justice are controlled by “a corrupt leader”.

“What will people think? You passed orders but everyone can see what is going on,” he said, in an apparent reference to shipping containers that have blocked routes to Islamabad despite an order by the IHC to keep the city open.