LAHORE: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan has said that he was ready to hold talks with the army chief for the betterment of country.
While talking to media persons here on Friday, the former prime minister said if no one was willing to talk then what could I do? “It seems that the army chief was considering me as his enemy,” he added.
He continued that he has no quarrel with the establishment; “however, if someone thinks I would kneel down before them, this would not happen.
Our establishment does not have an understanding of politics,” he added. Khan suggested holding general elections across the country simultaneously for saving resources. He was confident of winning the upcoming elections despite the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) having the support of the ‘umpires’, adding that the overseas Pakistanis were with his party.
He challenged the opponents to prove one corruption case against him and his wife; “even the army chief may try to bring up a corruption case against me”. He reiterated that former chief of the army staff general Qamar Javed Bajwa (retd) had stabbed him in the back. “General Bajwa spoke against Russia (in a security conference in Islamabad) and for this, he should be court-martialed,” he said, adding that a strong army was in the interest of country.
He disclosed that all efforts were made to compel former Punjab chief minister Chaudhry Parvez Elahi to abandon him and now it was their turn to show loyalty to him (Chaudhry). “I cannot be disloyal to anyone,” he added. Khan told the media persons that he has recorded a video regarding a threat to his life and it has been entrusted to someone in a foreign country.
He refrained from disclosing a name of the future Punjab chief minister; “if I disclose the name now it would lead to chaos (within the party). Even the women on reserve seats want to become the chief minister.”
Talking about his decision to travel to the federal capital by road, he disclosed that he decided not to fly to Islamabad at midnight; “I received news that the government wanted to arrest me at the airport and shift me to Balochistan. I am in danger from those people who are supposed to protect me,” he added.
He revealed that he was still in touch with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman. Meanwhile, as per the sources, doctors have given a green signal to the PTI Chairman to participate in outdoor political activities and hence he would physically lead the party’s election campaign.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2023