ISLAMABAD: PTI founder Imran Khan expressed his desire for talks with the military and clarified that he had never maligned the military but resorted to constructive criticism.
In an informal conversation with journalists in the courtroom after the hearing of the 190 million pounds reference, he likened the military to a spoiled child in a household, explaining that just as a wayward child was critiqued, the military was criticized as criticism was the essence of democracy. He said his party was ready to hold talks with the military. “We are ready to hold talks with the military. The army should nominate their representative.”
The former prime minister put forth four demands before holding talks with the army. He said: “Our stolen mandate be returned, PTI leaders and activists be released ending cases against them, transparent election be conducted as it is must to save the country. Also, Maulana Fazlur Rehman is talking about the 3rd phase by referring to resignations from assemblies.”
Imran, who has been imprisoned for nearly a year, said his party never levelled allegations against the army but had only criticised the armed forces. If any PTI worker is found guilty of May 9 riots, authorities should penalise him. He reiterated that the government wanted to destroy his party by creating a wedge between the PTI and armed forces.
When asked why he was seeking talks when he was criticising the army and why wasn’t he seeking talks with political parties, Imran said: “What is the SIFC? Who is Mohsin Naqvi? There is an undeclared martial law.” He said Interior Minister Naqvi was “their” representative and that he reached “this place due to them”. He then alleged that he would never hold talks with Naqvi as he along with the inspector general of Punjab Police “oppressed” his party.
Imran also termed Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz “fascist” while pointing towards back-to-back arrests of PTI leaders across the province. The deposed prime minister, referring to his arrest last year, alleged that he was “abducted from the judicial complex” and “it was declared legal by Islamabad High Court Chief Justice Aamer Farooq”. He demanded that the IHC CJ recuse himself from his cases. Appealing to the judiciary, he said his cases be referred to any other high court judges except Justice Farooq.
