Imran Khan
Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan has stated that he will continue to fight for the rule of law in the country, stating that he will not strike a deal or surrender even if the government imprisons him.
On Sunday evening, Khan addressed the nation via YouTube, saying that his fight is for the betterment of his country and its people.
“I will neither make a deal nor surrender even if they put me in jail. I will continue fighting for the rule of law and a better future for the people of my country,” Khan said.
On Monday, the 70-year-old Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party chief travelled from Lahore to Islamabad to seek an extension of his pre-arrest bail in 19 cases.
Khan is charged in over 140 cases. The majority of the cases involve terrorism, inciting public violence, arson attacks, blasphemy, attempted murder, corruption, and fraud.
Meanwhile, police in Lahore arrested 30 PTI workers on Sunday, including former football star Shumaila Sattar, for attempting to meet Khan at his Zaman Park residence, according to a police officer on Monday.
Sattar has previously represented the national women’s football team.
A senior lawyer, who is a petitioner against the trial of civilians in the military courts, was also “abducted” after he met with Khan in Lahore, the officer said.
Sattar was arrested in connection with the attack on the Corps Commander House in Lahore on May 9, according to Lahore police.
According to police, she was identified using geo-fencing and taken to jail on judicial remand.
Khan also claimed that senior Supreme Court advocate Aziz Bhandhari was kidnapped (by agencies) after he called him at his Zaman Park residence the other day.
He stated that Advocate Bhandhari had petitioned the Supreme Court against civilians being tried in military courts.
“This is a complete martial law in the country,” he said.
The 30 PTI workers who were released from jail following the May 9 violence wanted to see Khan and were re-arrested under the public disorder act.
Following Khan’s arrest by paramilitary personnel inside the Islamabad High Court on May 9, widespread violence erupted in Pakistan. He was eventually released on bail.
During the violent protests that followed Khan’s arrest, over 20 military installations and state buildings, including the military headquarters in Rawalpindi, were damaged or burned.
According to the PTI, law enforcement agencies arrested over 10,000 party members across Pakistan, the majority of whom were from Punjab.
Khan, the cricketer-turned-politician, was deposed after losing a no-confidence vote in his leadership, which he claimed was part of a US-led conspiracy to destabilise him because of his independent foreign policy towards Russia, China, and Afghanistan.
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