My life is in danger, says PM Imran Khan

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan said on Friday that the establishment made three offers to him including no confidence, resignation or fresh elections, and to him elections was the best option.

In an interview to a local private channel, the PM emphasised that if the people wanted to fix the country, they should be given a huge majority. He said he could not even think of resigning from his office; on no-trust motion, he said he wanted to be a competitor and he would fight till the last ball.

Replying to a question, he said, “we will see the day on Sunday, I want to see the whole nation; I want to show the nation the faces of these people; I came behind these thieves in politics only for accountability; they were saved due to a conspiracy and a deal.

“The country has been betrayed by spoiling the accountability process. We know what happened to their cases. We were helpless. The people want to fix the country.

“Let's go with the majority so that the filth is clear. Circumstances will not change unless the nation itself wants to change. If we want to be a great nation, we must follow the path of self-determination”. He said he would see how all the thieves would run the country jointly after his ouster.

The PM said his life was in danger, but the nation knows him for 45 years. “I will not remain silent. From outside, the regime change plot is being executed and this is the issue of national security.

“Imran Khan's name is in the letter, not of the government; it was said in the letter that Imran Khan's decision to go to Russia was taken alone”.

He said if the no-confidence motion fails, then there will be elections, and then everything will be crystal clear. “How will they run this country, which I can’t, and I will not talk to Shehbaz Sharif, who wants to be the prime minister, a case of Rs8 billion is going on against him; how can I talk with this kind of fraud.

“I had an idea from August that there was a conspiracy against me. The agency reported that people used to come and go from here to London. Nawaz Sharif was sitting in London and meeting people. People like Hussain Haqqani were meeting Nawaz Sharif. We received a letter on the 7th and the last meeting of Nawaz Sharif was on the 3rd,” he explained.

He said that “our enemies want to divide Pakistan into three parts; look at the situation in Iraq and Syria, we have survived because of the army, Nawaz Sharif's daughter openly criticised the army; I never speak against the army. I will never do it. They were also in touch with Nawaz Sharif who are against Pak army.”

PM Imran Khan said that “these people were asking me for NRO-II, they are trying to come to power, if that happens, then they will be the first to abolish NAB; they will try to destroy state institutions and re-establish themselves: Musharraf had given NRO to save his government. Musharraf's biggest betrayal was not martial law but NRO.

“The outside world already knew about the no-confidence motion, which means that the planning had been going on for five or six months. Regime change is being threatened, what could be bigger than this, what could be a bigger threat to the country; there is a fear that we have reached the level where threats are being received. The conspirators will resort to my character assassination, I am telling you from now on, the first lady does not leave the house, a campaign is being launched against her, a separate campaign of her and her friend Farah’s character assassination has been prepared,” he charged.

Prime Minister said money was given from outside for this three months ago, an anchor came to meet him and said “you know we have been offered money for immorality, money is offered to anchors and suddenly they make me villain and Taliban Khan. That being said, I used to say that this is not our war, these are media architects, newspapers are run for money and media is run for money.”

He said that Pakistan should have an independent foreign policy, Russia, USA, China and all should be friends. In the war on terror, the elite benefited, the Pakistanis suffered.

“We sometimes went to a bloc and sometimes to another, Zulfikar Bhutto convened an OIC meeting, how he was killed; these parties were still part of the conspiracy against Bhutto, Fazlur Rehman, Nawaz Sharif's party was part of the conspiracy, outsiders need Mir Sadiq and Mir Jafar here.

The PM said in the letter that if Imran Khan survived no-trust motion, then Pakistan will have big problems and if Imran stays in government, then Pakistan will be left alone in the world. “Yes, I have all the reports, who used to go to which embassy, which politicians, anchors and journalists used to go to which embassy, everyone knows, any politician in another country should show up with the people of other country. Maryam Nawaz did not work for an hour in her life. What did she know about foreign policy? Why did people from foreign embassies meet Maryam Nawaz,” he asked.

Prime Minister said: “I was not making money, I was not doing corruption, so there was no threat from the army, I did not meet Modi secretly like Nawaz Sharif, no letters used to be sent to Americans through Hussain Haqqani.”

He said that he was talking about keeping General Faiz [as the ISI chief] till November because of Afghanistan situation; however, the Army had its own perspective. He clarified that de-notification of Army chief was a disinformation campaign of the PMLN. “I would like Pakistan's army to be stronger so that Pakistan's enemies do not come close; I will not do anything that will weaken Pakistan,” he added.

PM Imran grilled the past rulers for insulting Pakistan where having a compromised foreign policy while his government maintained a neutral policy with an objective of being partners in peace and not being part of any conflict whatsoever.

Separately, addressing the Islamabad Security Dialogue here, PM Imran Khan Friday said a ‘powerful’ country was angered by his recent visit to Russia and had questioned his decision to visit Moscow amid Russia-Ukraine crisis. He did not name the country, but said that country’s ally, India, was importing oil from Russia at a time when the West was trying to impose sanctions in the aftermath of its attack on Ukraine.

The premier appreciated India over its independent foreign policy, saying it had always been independent and they actively protect it. He emphasised that India’s independent foreign policy was for its own people. He said he had read a statement by British foreign secretary that they could not say anything to India as it had an independent foreign policy.

He said “in our mind, the meaning of security was always the military and we never talked about security, insisting security dialogue was very important for the country’s future”.

Referring to the opposition leadership, he said that those, who were readying for power, were giving interview that the US should not be angered, as it was difficult to survive without them. “We are in the present state of affairs because of those, who give such statements. They sacrificed the nation for their petty gains and compromised on national economic interests for their own personal interests,” he said.

He said the PTI government pursued an independent policy and tried to remain neutral unlike in the past and, among other matters, tried to bring Saudi Arabia, Iran and Turkey together while being neutral. He said Pakistan had major role in Afghanistan as well.

About Afghanistan, the PM said that Pakistan had never evaluated what it had lost and what it had gained through its participation in the US war, adding we never evaluated whether we got involved in order to help the Afghan people or whether it was for obtaining foreign aid/ dollars whereas factually Pakistan's losses far outweighed the foreign aid that was given.

He said that after 9/11, Pakistan changed its stance, taking 180 degree turn on resistance against foreign occupation, terming it terrorism. He regretted that we violated our own principles and the economic devastation and levelling of allegations on Pakistan that followed soon after.

“We sacrificed our own country for the benefit of another... That is why I believe that a country without an independent foreign policy does not have any respect in the world and cannot protect the interests of its people,” he added.

Meanwhile, Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Hussain Chaudhry Friday said that he was informed of being given the portfolio of law ministry and tomorrow (Saturday) he would immediately seek cancellation of bails of Shehbaz Sharif and Hamza Shehbaz. “We will ask the court tomorrow morning to start the process of cancelling his bail and that of Hamza Shehbaz.”

Talking to journalists here along with Energy Minister Hammad Azhar and Special Assistant Shahbaz Gill, Fawad said that the dreams of many people like Shehbaz Sharif would shatter as he was claiming to be the prime ministerial candidate. He said Shehbaz and his son Hamza Shehbaz had got prepared sherwanis [to wear on the day of getting oath as prime minister and chief minister Punjab], but their plans would fail as they would not get pajamas for the purpose.

Without going into details, the minister emphasised that politically there were a lot of things to happen in the next 48 hours. “The voting in the National Assembly on the no-trust motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan is fixed for Sunday,” he said.

On the post of Punjab chief minister, which fell vacant after Usman Buzdar resigned and his resignation was accepted by Punjab governor, the minister said that a decision had been taken thereon and tomorrow God willing, Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi would be the chief minister. He alleged that the leading people of the opposition were part of this conspiracy and on Thursday, Khwaja Asif said, “America has given us drips and what will happen to us if America removes drips, Khwaja Asif Sahib! It is better to get rid of these drips than the kind of life you have given to the people of Pakistan.”

“I salute those who are currently standing against these unscrupulous people. Insha Allah, the leadership of Pakistan will remain in the hands of a proud leader like Imran Khan. We have prepared our strategy, we abide by the constitution and will not do anything deviating from the constitution,” the minister maintained.

About those PTI members, who had decided to support the opposition, the minister said action would now be taken against the deviant members. “Tomorrow we will approach the Supreme Court. We want the apex court to see that it is possible for someone to create a no-confidence motion from outside and send to Pakistan, and say that our relations depend on it and then suddenly the conscience of our 22 people will be awakened on it,” he noted.

Speaking on the occasion, Hammad Azhar said that today Shehbaz Sharif was describing the great virtues of his government. He said that PTI had got bankrupt government from PMLN. “Today the foreign exchange reserves are at record level while because of PMLN, FATF sword was still hanging,” he said.

Shehbaz Gill said that ‘the prime minister of kids’ was addressing a press conference. Shehbaz Sharif's dream would shatter and every Pakistani would take revenge on these traitors.

He suggested if Shehbaz Sharif became the prime minister, Maqsood Chaprasi (peon) should be made the deputy prime minister. However, he contended days were not so bad for Pakistan that a person like Shehbaz Sharif should become the prime minister.