Imran Khan’s arrest to deepen prevailing crisis: Zalmay Khalilzad

WASHINGTON: Former US Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad has warned that the arrest of former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan will deepen the crises being faced by the country, ARY News reported on Tuesday.

Taking to Twitter, the former US special representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation pointed out that Pakistan was facing a triple crisis – political, economic, and security.

“Despite great potential, it is underperforming and falling far behind its archrival, India,” Zalmay Khalilzad said, adding that it was time for serious “soul-searching, bold thinking, and strategising”.

The sequential cannibalizing of its leaders through jailing, execution, assassination, etc. is the wrong path. Arresting Imran Khan will only deepen the crisis. I urge 2 steps: 1. Set a date for national elections in early June to avert a meltdown.

— Zalmay Khalilzad (@realZalmayMK) March 14, 2023

Giving his thoughts, he said that the sequential cannibalising of its leaders through jailing, execution, assassination is the wrong path. “Arresting Imran Khan will only deepen the crisis,” he also noted.

Zalmay Khalilzad urged the government to follow two steps: “Set a date for national elections in early June to avert a meltdown’ and use this time for the main political parties to confront what has gone wrong and propose a specific plan to rescue and put the country on a path to stability, security, and prosperity”.

2. Use this time for the main political parties to confont what has gone wrong and propose a specific plan to rescue and put the country on a path to stability, security, and prosperity. Whichever party wins the election will have a mandate from the people on what must be done.

— Zalmay Khalilzad (@realZalmayMK) March 14, 2023

He concluded by saying that whichever party wins the election will have a mandate from the people on what must be done.

Read More: Imran Khan forms ‘emergency committee’ to overlook PTI matters

It is pertinent to mention here that the Islamabad police used water cannons and tear gas to disperse PTI workers gathered outside party chief Imran Khan’s Zaman Park residence in Lahore.

The police team reached Lahore to arrest Imran Khan after a district and sessions court issued his non-bailable arrest warrants for failing to attend the hearing in Toshakhana reference.

The court of ADSJ Zafar Iqbal restored non-bailable arrest warrants for Imran in the Toshakhana reference. It instructed the police to arrest the PTI chief and present him in court by March 18.

In a statement, the Islamabad police spokesperson said that they have reached Lahore to arrest PTI chief on court orders.

While reacting to the reports of the arrest, PTI leader Hammad Azhar on Sunday afternoon called all party workers to reach Zaman Park in Lahore and remain peaceful.

Imran Khan’s message

In a video message shared on Twitter, the PTI chief urged the nation to stand resolute and fight for ‘Haqeeqi Azadi (real freedom) and rule of law’.

Imran Khan noted that the government believes the nation will ‘not react’ if he gets arrested, urging the party workers and supporters to prove the incumbent rulers ‘wrong’.

“You [the nation] have to prove that we are a living nation”, the former premier said, asking the nation to continue its struggle for real freedom and come out of their houses. He further said that he will continue to fight for the supremacy of Rule of Law.