Pakistan’s democracy at ‘all-time low’, says Imran Khan

Former prime minister and PTI Chairman Imran Khan, in an exclusive interview with an international media outlet, has said that democracy in Pakistan is at “an all-time low”.

“Democracy is at an all-time low. The only hope we have is the judiciary,” said PTI chief Imran Khan while speaking with Sky News on Sunday.

He also said that the coalition government was “petrified of elections” and feared being “wiped out” by his party at the polls.

“So they have decided that the only way they will allow elections is if I am inside jail or killed. There have been two attempts on me,” he said, adding that his house was also raided while he ways away.

The former prime minister also condemned “all violence” when asked about alleged violence by protesters following his arrested from the premises of Islamabad High Court (IHC) on May 9.

Addressing the party workers and supporters on Friday, the former prime minister has urged Supreme Court (SC) of Pakistan to launch an investigation into May 9 violence, emerged following his arrest in Al-Qadir Trust case.

The PTI chief urged them to come out of their homes and gather at a spot in their neighbourhood from 5:30pm to 6:30pm tomorrow (Sunday) with a placard inscribed with “Save Constitution, save country”.

The PTI chief noted that the police stopped him for leaving the Islamabad High Court (IHC) premises despite the court granted bail in multiple cases. “The police wanted to arrest me under MPO [Maintenance of Public Order] outside the courtroom,” he added.

During his address, the PTI chairman maintained that his supporters had always maintained peacefulness during their 27-year struggle. He said he could never forget May 25 when the state unleashed violence on PTI supporters and activists.

Arrest episode

PTI Chairman Imran Khan was arrested by National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in the Al-Qadir Trust case on Tuesday.

The PTI chief was taken into custody by Rangers personnel, who were acting on the National Accountability Bureau’s (NAB) warrant, from the premises of Islamabad High Court where the former premier had gone to seek bail in multiple cases registered against him.

On Thursday, the Supreme Court of Pakistan termed Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chief Imran Khan’s arrest “illegal” after a three-member bench ordered the authorities to produce him before the court.

The three-member bench comprising Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar and Justice Athar Minallah along with the CJP, while hearing the former prime minister’s plea against his arrest in the Al-Qadir Trust case, termed Imran Khan’s arrest from IHC premises “illegal” and ordered his immediate release.

He was directed to appear in Islamabad High Court Friday morning.

Later, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) barred authorities from arresting PTI Chairman Imran Khan in all cases, even those are undisclosed, registered across the country until Monday (May 17).

The court also granted protective bail to PTI chief in three terrorism cases registered against him in Lahore and stopped authorities from arresting him till May 17 in any case registered in Islamabad after May 9.

The IHC also granted protective bail to former prime minister Imran Khan in the Al-Qadir Trust case, a day after the Supreme Court ruled his arrest “unlawful”.