Want to Talk to Pakistan Army Chief, But He’s Not Ready, Says Imran Khan | Exclusive

Busting the rumours, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman and former Prime Minister Imran Khan said that “no minus one plan has been proposed by PTI vice-chairman Shah Mehmood Qureshi”.

A Pakistani court last Tuesday ordered the immediate release of Qureshi, who was arrested following the May 9 violent protests. Qureshi, 66, served as Pakistan’s foreign affairs minister from 2018 to 2022 under Khan’s regime. He was among the top PTI leaders arrested after violent protests following Khan’s arrest on May 9. He has been arrested multiple times since his first arrest.

Khan, meanwhile, said that “he doesn’t believe in deals and power politics, and for him, politics is only for a cause and mission”.

Khan once again emphasised on talks with Army Chief Asim Munir. “I want to talk to the army chief, but he is not ready to talk. I don’t want talks because of my personal interests, Allah has given me everything already and my nation stands with me. I want talks for the nation.”

‘STAGE SET FOR COURT MARTIAL’

Khan said on Friday that the stage has been set for his “court martial” after the country’s all-powerful Army vowed to try the “masterminds and planners” of the May 9 violence in military courts.

His remarks came a day after Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah accused Khan of planning the countrywide violence that erupted after his arrest in a corruption case on May 9.

Talking to reporters after appearing before the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Thursday in connection with 10 different cases, including two ongoing petitions and eight new bail petitions, the 70-year-old Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf: chief said he knew he would be tried by a military court.

He termed a civilian’s trial in the military court as the “end of democracy” and the “end of justice” in Pakistan.

“The trial in the military court will be illegal,” he was quoted as saying by the Dawn newspaper.

“They knew that over 150 cases registered against me are baseless and there is no chance of my conviction in these bogus cases, therefore, they have decided to conduct my trial in the military court,” Khan said.

Pakistan’s powerful army on Wednesday vowed to tighten the “noose of law” around “planners and masterminds” who mounted a “hate-ripened and politically-driven rebellion” against the state. Khan’s party found itself in hot waters when protesters allegedly belonging to the party attacked civil and military properties on May 9 following the arrest of Khan in the Al-Qadir corruption case.

The trial of people involved in the attacks on military installations in different parts of the country, including the attack on General Headquarters in Rawalpindi as well as Lahore’s Jinnah House where the Corps Commander was residing, has already begun.

Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has also hinted at Khan’s trial in a military court and it could stem from the federal cabinet’s decision that the protesters who vandalised military installations on May 9 would be tried under the Army Act and Official Secrets Act.

With PTI Inputs