ISLAMABAD - Incarcerated former prime minister and founding chairman of PTI, Imran Khan, yesterday claimed that former army chief Qamar Javed Bajwa had asked him to be a good child and a good slave if he wanted to get two-thirds majority in the National Assembly, else he would be restricted to only 30 seats.
Imran said this while informally talking to media on the occasion of the hearings of various cases including his unlawful marriage with Bushra, controversial cipher and Toshakhana gifts at the Adiala Jail, Rawalpindi, on Tuesday.
The former PM further said that he met with Gen Bajwa twice in the President’s House after the vote of no-confidence against him.
He also said that all the jail trials must be live televised for people to see what is happening during these trials.
When The Nation asked Imran Khan about Pakistan’s history of political parties allegedly getting targeted before the upcoming elections and how he sees the future, he replied that it’s an evolution process and “we should learn from our mistakes. Only one party before the 1977 elections was persecuted. But what has been happening to PTI is unprecedented.”
People were identified through CCTV footages after the attack on Capitol Hill, USA, Imran mentioned and claimed that there is no footage available of the May 9 attacks on the Corps Commander House, Lahore, and GHQ. The founding PTI chief said that about 10,000 of their party members were sent to jail while the people involved in the vandalism would only be 150 to 200.
Imran Khan claimed that the actions of ECP, NAB, Police, and Anti-Terrorism Court are part of the ‘London agreement’.
“The Supreme Court was our last hope but we have no faith in this court either. We’re not even disappointed by its decision. The people of Pakistan have made their decision. I’ve taken PTI from zero to the biggest party in Pakistan in just 27 years,” Imran said with announcing that we have a Plan C which we will unveil on February 8.
About the upcoming elections, Imran said that only free and fair elections can bring political stability to the country and no country will invest in Pakistan without political stability. “I’ve never talked against the Pakistan Army; my party didn’t attack any premises when I was shot at. I just took the name of one person only.”
Former foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, who was also present on the occasion, told the media that the Supreme Court decision has shattered the future of democracy in Pakistan, and it would have negative implications in the political system of the country.
Imran Khan had appeared in the court established at the jail with reference to his cases hearing.
Along with others, media persons are allowed entry to the jail premises after crossing four checkpoints where jail authorities frisk journalists to make sure they do not have any electronic devices including cell phones, SIM cards, memory cards, cameras, etc. Journalists enter the jail where they walk by the prisoners meeting place to the vocational and training institute to the community hall where jail trial of Imran Khan takes place.
The community hall is a relatively big space that can accommodate 150 to 200 prisoners. The judges conduct hearings while sitting on a built-in stage, the court staff also sits there as they sit in a regular court. Only a few people can stand on the stage in front of the judge’s desk like in the regular courts.
When one gets down from the stage, there is an open space of almost 6 to 8 feet where tables and chairs are placed for accused and prosecution. Behind that there are two parallel wooden cabins, one cabin is designated for the family of the accused, while the other cabin is partitioned into two cabins. The front cabin is for journalists, and the other is for the public.
The community hall is refurbished for the jail trials. A banner inscribed with ‘welcome’ is hung on top of the stage which also mentions the Punjab Police and Government of Punjab logos. The tall wooden roof doesn’t have ceiling fans as the ceiling fans are hung on side walls while the benches for the media and public are cemented.
Imran Khan in his sweatpants, jersey, and hi-neck looked comfortable. He talked to his legal team during the intervals between trials.
The trials of cipher, unlawful marriage and Toshakhana cases took place on Tuesday. There were almost 10-15 legal team members of Imran Khan who were present in the community hall during the trials. There were 15 journalists present in their cabin and 15 public members also attended the trial.