LAHORE    -     Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan Friday said that the government was welcome to carry out a search of his residence at Zaman Park if it ensured it would be carried out according to the or­ders of the Lahore High Court (LHC). 

Addressing media persons outside his Zaman Park residence here on Friday, PTI chairman said that he did not trust the Punjab caretaker gov­ernment as the police would plant weapons and falsify evidence to im­plicate him in a fake case. 

Khan said he that he met a team of police and provincial government offi­cials who visited his residence and told them to come see whether there was any wanted person there. But then they said that they wanted to carry out an entire search of his house. 

“If you want to find wanted men or ter­rorists, why do you have to come search my house? Have I committed a crime, or is there another reason that needs to be spec­ified?” he asked. 

However, the PTI Chairman revealed: “The authorities have now changed their stance, saying there are wanted men, not terrorists at Zaman Park.” “You can la­bel anyone you want. And they have tak­en away 7,500 of our people on this ba­sis. They have taken away our entire senior leadership. Whoever is in the PTI is wanted at present,” Khan maintained.

PTI Chairman stated that he told them that he would not allow that to happen be­cause those thousands in custodies includ­ing women were being tortured and ha­rassed without any reason. 

“If there is anything that we permit, it will be along the lines of what the LHC ordered, as there would be one person from their side, one from ours, along with a female of­ficer,” he added.

Imran Khan stated that so that what happened last time was not repeated, when they found weapons, damaged and stole things, then also claimed Kalash­nikovs were found; hence he did not trust them at all.

“These arrests are a crackdown on the PTI based on mala fide. This is not hap­pening for enforcing the law in the coun­try. All of it is happening to crush the par­ty,” Imran Khan stated.

The PTI Chairman demanded evidence regarding his party’s involvement in the May 9 violence, saying that if anyone from the PTI was involved “I will help the po­lice catch them”.

“But this is not the case. All this is be­ing done to crush the PTI. There are vid­eos of Shah Mahmood Qureshi and Yas­min Rashid where they are asking people to stay peaceful,” he added. 

Imran Khan said that the police gave him eight names, who they said were wanted. They asked him to make an appeal to hand over these individuals to them, adding that they would take this up in the court.

About returning to the parliament, he said: “I do not know whether anyone sees or listens to Parliament because Parlia­ment has become redundant. 

“The day when an individual wanting to contest elections on the PML-N’s ticket becomes Parliament’s opposition leader, Parliament sees its end that day. Because there can be no Parliament without the opposition,” he added.

“Our only objective of returning to Parlia­ment will be to raise our voice, especially against violations of human rights, funda­mental rights and the Constitution, as oth­er than this, there is no use of Parliament,” PTI Chairman added. 

However, Imran Khan stated that he would not go to Parliament, but his par­ty would go. “Whenever elections are held, we will not have to run an election campaign. Our members will only have to manage the polling day, and they will win,” he maintained.

The PTI Chairman refuted reports to leave the country and said that everything that he owned was in his name and was in Pakistan; therefore, he added that he did not need an NRO because it was taken by those whose money stashed abroad, the likes of Nawaz Sharif and Ishaq Dar. “I do not need an NRO and I will never leave Pa­kistan,” he reiterated. 

Regarding dialogue, the PTI Chairman re­futed reports of any dialogue and said that all those who wanted PTI to be banned did not want any dialogue to be held. “I am a political man and am ready for dialogue, but dialogue is not happening because they want to ban the party,” he added.

The PTI Chairman said that propaganda was being done about him not condemning the May 9 violence. However, Imran Khan stated that he said this from day one that his party cannot do this. The day he went to Supreme Court after four days in jail he condemned this in front of the chief justice.

Talking about PDM, Khan has said that the PDM was scared of holding polls be­cause they lost the by-elections despite having the support of the establishment and ECP. Now they are running away from elections and they are finding ways to pit Imran and PTI against the army.

“A political party or leader is isolated when they do not have the support of the public. “So presently, parties in the PDM are isolated,” he added.

“And whatever has happened, they have used this for fueling the fire. But all this is just leading to Pakistan’s destruction.” Im­ran Khan has said that the government would be charged under Article 6 for de­laying elections in Punjab and Khyber Pa­khtunkhwa. He said that despite all the difference in the Supreme Court, “all the judges agree on the point that elections should be held within 90 days”.

“The people who are beaten up here, compare them with those they gathered in the Red Zone to pressurise the chief justice. They were given money,” he added.

“Nobody even knew why they were being taken there. They were being given official help, as they were being facilitated and giv­en food,” Khan maintained.

“There can be no military courts in Pa­kistan. They lapsed in 2019, they can’t be established,” PTI chief Imran Khan said. In response to a question on the decision to try rioters on May 9 under military laws, Imran said: “Which military installation was attacked? I only know about the La­hore Corps Commander’s House and two or three other places. “And on that, a com­plete investigation should be held and they should be punished,” PTI Chairman added.

Talking about state barbarism, the PTI Chairman said: “The way Pakistani wom­en stood up for Haqeeqi Azadi, they will be remembered and become part of our democratic history. Also what will never be forgotten is the brutality of our secu­rity forces and the shameless way they went out of their way to abuse, hurt and humiliate our women.”