Imran Khan wants to regain power with US support: Khawaja Asif

Defence Minister Khawaja Asif on Sunday accused that incarcerated Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan wanted to return to power with the support of the United States.

In a hard-hitting address from London, the defence minister said that Washington became “absolutely not” when the jailed premier was ousted from power via a no-confidence motion in April 2022.

Dubbing the PTI founder a “product of establishment”, he held judiciary responsible for delay in taking the case involving those responsible for violence and rioting on May 9, 2023, to its logical conclusion.

“The matter of bringing those responsible for May 9 [mayhem] to justice was delayed due to the judiciary.”

His remarks came a day after 25 individuals involved in the May 9 attacks on the state installations were handed two to 10 years of "rigorous imprisonment" by the military courts in the first phase.

“Urgent decisions were needed in the matter of May 9,” added the minister.

Calling the jailed PTI founder “mastermind” of the May 9 riots, the minister said: “May 9 was planned by a person who was himself a product of the establishment.”

“Individual involved in May 9 attacks were trained,” he said, adding that sensitive installations were attacked by the rioters.

At least 70 PTI leaders, including Khan, face allegations of planning the May 9 events and inciting the workers and supporters to attack military and government installations following the arrest of the ousted prime minister by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in 2023.

The violent protests were triggered almost across the country after the PTI founder was arrested in the £190 million Al-Qadir Trust case.

During the protests, the miscreants targeted the civil and military installations including — Jinnah House and the General Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi. The military termed May 9 "Black Day" and decided to try the protesters under the Army Act.

The PTI founder, however, blames the “agencies men” for arson and shooting in some areas during the May 9 violent protests.

In his address today, the defence minister said that the military courts sentenced 25 accused on basis of evidence, adding that there were videos showing the convicts attacking the military installations.

“PTI was brought to power via RTS in 2018,” he said while referring to alleged rigging in the general elections.

The PML-N blames the Results Transmission System (RTS) for their loss in the polls. PML-N’s Marriyum Aurangzeb had said that her party would have won the 2018 elections if the RTS of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) hadn’t failed.

Firing a fresh salvo at the PTI founder, the minister said: “A person who takes a U-turn can never be a national leader.” In 2018, the PTI founder had said that taking a "U-turn" was a "hallmark of great leadership".

He hailed PML-N president and three-time former prime minister Nawaz Sharif for turning Pakistan into a nuclear state despite international pressure.

The minister blasted the judiciary for convicting Nawaz in the Panama Papers case, saying: “Verdict in the Panama case is shameful for the judiciary.

In a landmark decision on the case, the Supreme Court disqualified the three-time prime minister on July 28, 2017, for being "dishonest" under Article 62(1)(f) of the Constitution.

Asif was of the view that Nawaz-led government was overthrown via a conspiracy, adding that then army chief General (retd) Qamar Javed Bajwa was working on “minus Nawaz Sharif project" at that time.

Commenting on the proposed negotiation between the PTI and the ruling coalition slated to be held tomorrow, Asif said: “Time and circumstances brought those to the negotiation table who were unwilling to talk.”

He, however, said that seeking sincerity in negotiations will be a “waste of time”.

It is pertinent to mention here that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has constituted a high-level committee comprising senior members of the coalition government to hold dialogue with the main opposition party, the PTI, which has warned the incumbent rulers of civil disobedience.

The committee includes Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, Rana Sanaullah, Senator Irfan Siddiqui, Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, Naveed Qamar, Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, Abdul Aleem Khan and Chaudhry Salik Hussain.

A committee — comprising leaders from PTI — to engage with the government, had already been formed by the PTI founder Imran Khan weeks ago, which reflects the party's realisation that the policy of confrontation could not be continued indefinitely.

Both the committees are expected to meet at NA Speaker Ayaz Sadiq's chamber tomorrow.

The minister said that the mastermind of the May 9 violence would also be brought to justice after handing sentences to the operatives.

“May 9-like situation will not arise even if PTI founder is sentenced,” he added.