ISLAMABAD: Former Prime Minister and PTI Chairman Imran Khan challenged the coalition government to arrest him and put him behind the bars instead of hurling threats.
Imran Khan lambasted Finance Minister Ishaq Dar and PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif and alleged that they had been given NRO. “This is movement of real freedom. I and my nation are ready to go to jail. We are not afraid of jail,” said Imran Khan while addressing a public gathering in Taxila.
Earlier, Imran Khan obtained interim bail in a case related to his controversial remarks against a judge and senior police officials in an Islamabad rally on August 20. The PTI chairman had approached the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Sunday after his arrest warrants were issued after he failed to appear before the court.
Khan said Dar is a bigger coward than Nawaz Sharif, saying that the powers which promised him NRO, otherwise, he would not have returned to the country. He said that PPP and PML-N had quadrupled Pakistan’s debt from 2008 to 2018, but now they had been given NRO again. Speaking on the missing cypher, the former premier said Maryam Nawaz gave a new life to the cypher.
“I want to thank Maryam Nawaz for giving a new life to the cypher issue. I want to thank you for proving my statements [regarding the cypher] true,” said Imran Khan. “They staged a new drama now that the cypher is missing. Maryam Bibi! The cypher is not missing but you should ask the Foreign Ministry as the copy of the cypher is still there. The original copy of the cypher is still present in the Foreign Office (FO),” he added.
The PTI chief censured the incumbent government over the skyrocketing inflation and fuel prices. He predicted that gas prices will be increased up to 250% in the winter season. He blamed the rulers for coming into power to get their corruption cases quashed and claimed that they amended laws to get legal relief for continuing corrupt practices.
The ex-PM further alleged that the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) was acting like a servant of the present rulers. He added that they could not defeat the PTI in fair and free elections. Khan also challenged Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah to get ready for the upcoming PTI protest as he was giving final touches to his preparations.