Imran Khan demands immediate elections, warns to call out public

ISLAMABAD: PTI Chairman Imran Khan on Thursday demanded immediate elections and said that the PTI "will not stay patient for too long".

Speaking during a televised address, Khan said that the political situation of the country has been destabilised by the government.

"If they [coalition government] keep pushing us against the wall, we will have no choice but to call on the public," the former premier warned, further commenting on the economy's downfall and the subsequent suffering faced by people.

The PTI chief said that it will be tough to prevent Pakistan from collapsing if it continues to suffer due to political instability, following which he reiterated the need to conduct fresh elections soon.

Khan said that the country's risk rate during his party's rule was 5%, but it increased to 9% following the submission of the no-confidence motion against him; however, he added, that the rate has skyrocketed to more than 22%.

The former prime minister slammed the incumbent government on the crippling state of the economy in Pakistan and said that it had "no way to stop the economy from collapsing".

"The government said that the economy will improve after the revival of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) programme, but today, the country is facing record-high inflation," Khan said.

Commenting on his party's popularity among the public, the former premier said that the PTI was the only party which can keep the whole country united.

"Those assuming top governmental posts know that they can't compete against the PTI in terms of popularity," he claimed.

The PTI chairman shared some statistics comparing his tenure's performance to that of the incumbent administration. He said that the government left the foreign exchange reserves of $16.2 billion, adding the country was facing inflation and unemployment.

Khan compared Pakistan's economic situation with Sri Lanka saying that it was heading in the same direction.

"Pakistan will receive $8 billion from the IMF, the World Bank, and the Asian Development Bank, while the rest of $22 billion will have to be financed from other countries," he said, adding that Pakistan has to pay $30 billion in loans this year.