Govt, ‘establishment’ will be held responsible ‘if anything happens to party founder’: PTI

ISLAMABAD: A day after police claimed of thwarting a terrorist attack on Adiala jail, where ex-prime minister Imran Khan is incarcerated, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Thursday said it point-blank: the incumbent government and the powerful military establishment would be held responsible if anything happens to Imran Khan.

Talking to journalists, Shoaib Shaheen, the PTI spokesman for PTI founding chairman, said that “attempts are made to threaten and murder the PTI founder. Why do terrorists choose to target only Adiala Jail instead of other jails across the country.”

His statement comes after the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) claimed to have arrested three “Afghan” terrorists and recovered a map of Adiala Jail, a hand grenade, and improvised explosive devices (IEDs) from their possession.

A failed assassination attempt was also made on Khan’s life in November 2022 when he was leading an anti-government rally in Wazirabad. He sustained bullet injuries in his leg.

About poll rigging, Shaheen said that the average count of votes had been shown by up to 99.99 per cent at some polling stations after tampering with records related to the 2024 nationwide election results which were factually impossible.

Reiterating allegations of rigging, he said that the party would pursue a case, on the basis of Form 45, against returning officers (ROs) involved in tampering with poll results’ records.

He claimed that PTI, Jamaat-e-Islami, Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan, and even independent candidate Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar were possessing the same Form 45.

Slamming the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government, he said that the current rulers would acquire another loan from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which would be spent on elites but all financial burden would be borne by the nation later.

To a question, he, once again, said that his party would not hold any negotiations with the “dacoits” at any cost, adding an alliance of like-minded political parties will be formed to launch a movement against rigging in the general elections.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024