Hitting out at the Shehbaz Sharif-led Pakistan government, former Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday said those trying to “knock him out” were destroying the country and it was better for him to die than “accept slavery”.
Addressing a press conference, the beleaguered PTI chief appealed to the Supreme Court to save the country’s democracy, Dawn reported.
“This slavery that they making us do…the way they are gripping necks and forcing them to leave PTI. You were not born for this. When the nation bows its head in front of fear, those nations die,” Khan said.
“I am sitting prepared for them, whenever they will come for me. I am prepared every day,” the 70-year-old PTI chief further said.
READ | ‘Parting Ways From Imran Khan’: Pakistan Ex-Minister Fawad Chaudhry Resigns From PTI
The former cricketer, however, told his supporters that he won’t lose hope and would stand till the last ball. “I want to tell my nation that you should not accept defeat in any way,” he said.
“Those (people) and human rights organisations among us who were the soldiers of democracy, don’t they see that (what is happening) would lead to crushing of democracy. The time is coming when democracy will see its end,” Khan said.
Khan also said the Supreme Court was Pakistan’s last hope to save the country’s democracy.
“SC judges, the nation is looking at you and your unity is very important for the public. It is up to you now to save this country and take a stand for it because Pakistan is becoming a banana republic,” he said.
Amid a flurry of leaders quitting his party in recent days, the former PM said the government would never be able to eliminate PTI and its popularity would only increase.
“I can say this with confidence that whenever I distribute the PTI tickets and whoever I give them to…they will win,” he said.
In the latest blow to PTI, its senior leader Fawad Chaudhry announced that he was “taking a break from politics” and parting ways with Imran Khan over the May 9 mayhem when party workers and supporters attacked public and military installations across the country.
Chaudhry’s resignation came a day after former minister for human rights Shireen Mazari quit the party.
On May 9, violent protests erupted across Pakistan after paramilitary Rangers arrested Khan from the Islamabad High Court (IHC) premises in connection with the Al Qadir trust case.
His party workers vandalised a dozen military installations, including the Lahore Corps Commander’s House, the Mianwali airbase and the ISI building in Faisalabad in response to Khan’s arrest.
Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said on Wednesday the government was mulling a possible ban on Khan’s PTI party.