KARACHI – Former prime minister Imran Khan warned on Saturday that anyattempt to harm him would harm those who would try to harm him.
He was addressing a massive political gathering in Karachi as part of hismass contact campaign after his ouster from power through a no-confidencemotion on April 10.
Khan, who is chairman of his party, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI),asked his supporters at the Karachi power show to tell if his governmentwas toppled through a foreign “conspiracy” or “interference”.
It was an indirect reference to Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR)Director General Major General Iftikhar Babar’s recent remarks that theUnited States interfered in Pakistan’s internal affairs, but there was noevidence the US was involved in a conspiracy to topple the Khan government.
Khan said in his opening remarks in the port city, “Karachi, I thank youfrom my heart. I’ve come to talk some very special things because the issueis of your and your children’s future. This conspiracy against our country… I want you to carefully listen … was it a conspiracy or aninterference? Raise your hands and tell me if it was an interference or aconspiracy.
“There was a conspiracy against this country at a very vast internationalscale,” he said as he explained his political narrative.
He said, “I want to tell the nation that I’ve never been against anycountry. I’m not anti-India, anti-Europe or anti-US. I’m with the humanityof the world. I’m not against any nation. I want friendship with everyonebut slavery to no one.”
Khan said he came to know three or four months ago that turncoats, wholater left his party, and some journalists were having meetings at the USembassy. “A journalist told me that ‘a lot of money is being spent on us’.Thus, the conspiracy had been in the works for a while and then our USambassador meets Donald Lu.”
He repeated his question for the judiciary, asking what crime had hecommitted that they felt the need to open courts at midnight.
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Earlier, supporters of Pakistan’s former ruling party Tehreek-e-Insaf arecoming to attend an anti-government rally in the country’s largestmetropolis as part of its mass contact campaign following Imran Khan’souster from power.
Following a tumultuous political change, Imran Khan was removed as thecountry’s premier in a no-confidence vote in Parliament, while thecricketer turned politician had kick-started huge rallies to gather publicsupport for early polls.
Today, PTI will hold a public rally at Bagh-e-Jinnah Khan as Imran Khan-ledpolitical party has announced a protest against the whole system, callingout foreign countries for interfering in the country’s foreign policy.
Party chairman Imran Khan already arrived in Karachi at 4 pm today for thepublic meeting and he is scheduled to address the rally at around 10:00pm.Reports in the media said as per NOC issued by the district administration,the now opposition party will have to end the rally till 12:00 midnight.
On Friday, Imran Khan shared a video message on official Twitter where hecalled on overseas Pakistanis to donate money to topple the US-backed PML-Ngovernment.
He also mentioned a website that is collecting donations from them to fightagainst the Sharif-led government and to hold new polls.
PTI Chairman Imran Khan also requested party supporters to carry thePakistan flag at its Karachi rally. Khan called the PTI protest ‘fight forPakistan’s sovereignty and real democracy, and against US-instigated regimechange’.
