The PTI’s founding chairman Imran Khan spoke to the media in Adiala jail when there was a hearing of a 190 million Pounds case against him and his wife Bushra Bibi.
Whatever Mr. Khan said perhaps denotes that what is good for others is bad for him and what is bad for others is good for him. It is moving forward with the concept that PTI is always right. Imran Khan tried to proved this on various occasions, the latest of which was recorded yesterday.
The hearing of the 190 million pounds reference against Imran Khan on Friday was adjourned when his lawyers objected to the appointment of a new accountability court judge hearing this case at Adiala Jail. They raised objections to the appointment of the accountability court’s judge Muhammad Ali Warraich hear this case commonly known as the Al-Qadir Trust case. They expressed a lack of confidence in this court on some technical grounds. The result was that the proceedings could not be completed and were adjourned.
The court reserved the judgment on this objection and fixed June 11 for its announcement. It is reported that this case was almost near to conclusion when this objection was raised. The PTI’s leadership was happy with this development. This happiness, many believe, marks the “dual standards” of the PTI. This Party strongly criticized an additional session judge when the court could not announce its final verdict in the Iddat case against Khan and his wife. This case was shifted to another court by the IHC after it was requested to it.
The IHC transferred this case to another court because complainant Khawar Maneka – former husband of Bushra Bibi –expressed a lack of confidence in the sessions court judge who was scheduled to announce the final verdict. The PTI’s lawyer even attacked the complainant on the premises of the court. The PTI launched a social media campaign against the judge stating who should not have done it at all.
Talking to journalists, Imran Khan defended his controversial post on X regarding military establishment rule in “breaking of Pakistan” in 1971 and applauded his social media team calling them “Heroes.”
Khan called Sheikh Mujibur Rahman a hero as against the common believe in Pakistan. He dubbed Nawaz Sharif as traitor when cited example of Mujib.
He said that time he had not read the Hamoodur Rahman Commission, he had a different perception regarding Dhaka Fall tragedy. He said the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) was investigating him about the post rather it should seek apologies for framing false cases against him.
But, Khan’s former government, as per reports, victimised the then DG FIA Bashir Memon when he refused to accept pressure for filing fake cases against the PML-N and PPP’s leadership. Memon in April 2021 said that Khan wanted him to initiate proceedings against Justice Qazi Faez Isa and the leadership of the then-opposition. In an interview on a private channel, Memon said that Khan and his team on several occasions asked him to take action against opposition leaders regardless of the lack of evidence against them.
He alleged Khan wanted him to register a treason case against Khawaja Asif of the PML-N for holding a foreign work permit and to register a terrorism case against Maryam Nawaz for her press conference in which she allegedly threatened a judge of the accountability court. Mr. Memon said he refused these demands because there was no evidence against them. He said he was punished by being removed from his position a few days before retirement. Khan then acknowledged that in the case of Khawaja Asif he had asked Memon to investigate how could Asif have the iqama of the UAE. Khan claimed that he removed Memon for not pursuing investigations against Asif. Now he says that the FIA should first seek his apology.
He said “I have been kept in a death cell. I have no facility except an exercise machine,” he said when asked about facilities provided to Khan in jail. He added that room air coolers are available in all jail cells. When Khan was Prime Minister, he addressed a gathering in America in 2019 and said he would remove all facilities available to Nawaz and Asif Ali Zardari in the Jail. “Nawaz says he would take home-cooked food for jail’s food is not good,” he said. “Then they want an air conditioner and a TV. Eighty percent of Pakistanis don’t have air conditioners. At least 60 percent have no TV,” he said. He said that whenever Mr. Asif Zardari was sent to jail, he pretended to be ill. “You will be kept in jail without TV and AC,” he said.
Now talking to media Khan said, “Zardari and Nawaz were given ‘luxury suites’ during their imprisonment. They were provided food from outside, while prisoners cooked food for me.” He denied any facilities available to him in jail. What do the recent photos of Khan’s cell speak to what extent he is right?
The tweet that he now and his party defend is against the military establishment that calls it a traitor to the nation. In 2021 Khan lashed out at Nawaz for maligning the top army leadership, saying that Nawaz himself was launched into politics through the help of the military establishment. Commenting on the speech given by Nawaz during a rally, Khan said the PML-N leader was using inappropriate “language” against the army and ISI chiefs at a time when Pakistani soldiers were constantly sacrificing their lives for the nation.
Analysts say how Mr. Khan came into power and who committed May 9 is something that is not hidden from anyone. Mr. Khan and his party were happy over the relief provided to them by the courts but were unhappy when it was done to Nawaz Sharif. Recalling the origins of Nawaz’s political career, he said Nawaz first became a minister through the patronage of Gen (retd) Ghulam Jilani and reached chief minister-ship by “polishing the boots of Gen Ziaul Haq.” He said, “This is unfortunate that the country courts always helped Nawaz.” “What he did to this country is what Mir Jaffar and Mir Sadiq did to their people. Imran Khan himself declared the military establishment as Mir Jaffar and Mir Sadiq; it is also on record. In the past addressing the judiciary and NAB, he said “The people are tired and awaiting justice and completion of cases. I request the chief justice, whatever logistical support you need from the government, we are ready to provide that but for God’s sake hold day-to-day hearings to conclude these cases against opposition leaders. Surprisingly, the PTI lawyers objected to the judge knowing how long it would delay the justice. Last but not least, PTI requested the Court to televise Khan’s appearance via video link, but this Party banned the airing of the Nawaz’s speeches on TV. A court also bought this argument. These are a few examples, but there are a lot more supporting the synopsis that PTI is always right.
(Senior journalist Rana Kashif has authored this article)
