LAHORE: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan has said that he told Chief Justice of Pakistan Umar Ata Bandial that he strongly condemns every kind of violence: “it was propaganda that I did not condemn the May 9 violence”.

While addressing his supporters through a video link here on Saturday, the former Prime Minister said that he had apprised the Chief Justice that he never allowed his supporters to do something other than stage a peaceful protest.

He averred that the PTI has a history of staging peaceful protests; however, he would ask the PTI workers to surrender before the law if evidence of vandalism emerges against them.

“If a photograph emerges of any PTI worker breaking the law or setting things on fire, tell us. We will ask our workers to appear before the court and face punishment,” he added.

He claimed that the May 9 incident was a planned conspiracy to ban his party. He further claimed that the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) knows they could not defeat the PTI in the upcoming elections and hence a conspiracy was hatched to make grounds for banning his party by falsely implicating the PTI in the violent protests.

He went on to say that the PTI supporters, members and officeholders had been put behind bars; whoever was outside has gone underground because the authorities were raiding their homes.

He claimed that 25 of their unarmed workers and supporters were shot dead during the protests and no one from the government was talking about it.

“None of them was armed, but still they were shot. It was not lawful to attack protesters; is there no value of human life in this country,” he added.

He also questioned the authenticity of geo-fencing techniques for identifying culprits, saying it only showed the whereabouts of the PTI workers and supporters, but it does not say if they were involved in the May 9 attacks.

However, if they were involved then the PTI condemns it the most, he said, adding that it was very hard for them to get information from the government about what was happening.

He also accused the government for committing atrocities on women; “they were never subjected to such cruelty as was witnessed this time”. He also accused the government of deliberately showing disrespect to women.

He castigated the government for not giving the PTI a chance to give its side of the story, saying, “They caught me, then suspended internet services and controlled the entire media. And soon after, one-sided propaganda of the PTI’s alleged atrocities was played out in the controlled media.

They did not give us a chance to present our stance, as they hey put everyone in jail. An independent investigation of the incidents should be held and only after that the real faces of miscreants was be exposed,” he added.

He pointed out that Pakistan was going beyond the point of no return; when a country’s Constitution was violated and when the Supreme Court’s decisions were not implemented then it meant that there was no law in Pakistan. “There was only the law of the jungle,” he added.

He asked the ‘establishment’ how Pakistan benefits from delaying the polls. “I ask them how the country would benefit by delaying the elections until October.

“Also tell me how does Pakistan benefit from minus one? If they tell me then I will be willing to step down (from the party),” he added and appealed to all those in power to look after this country, as this was their country, as well.

He maintained that the Constitution was violated after not holding the election in Punjab and KP and subsequently, the country was being run based on the ‘doctrine of necessity’, and the caretaker governments were now illegal and all their orders were illegal. “Presently, there was no law in the country and hence our only hope was the judiciary.

However, the judiciary and judges are under immense pressure not to give us relief,” he said, adding that free and fair elections in Punjab and KP should be held immediately to bring political and economic stability to the country.

Talking about the option of leaving the country, he reiterated that he would not leave Pakistan. “Why would I leave; I do not have properties outside this country. I sold everything and came here. This is my home,” he added.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023