Imran Khan has lashed out at Army chief Asim Munir, saying the general was disgracing the military and sacrificing national interest to maintain his hold on power.
Imran Khan, Pakistan’s imprisoned former Prime Minister, lashed out at Army chief Asim Munir, saying that the general was disgracing the military and sacrificing national interest to maintain his hold on power.
In a recent post on social media, Khan said, “The country is being run under Munir’s law, and the ISI is giving it protection… He is prepared to sacrifice every national interest to maintain his hold on power. This army chief is disgracing the military just as Yahya Khan once did.”
Khan invoked the legacy of former army chief General Yahya Khan, whose regime led to the Bangladesh Liberation War and the birth of Bangladesh, as he ramps up criticism against the current government. His comments come ahead of his party’s campaign against the “puppet government”, starting next month.
“At this time, the Senate, the National Assembly, the Prime Minister, and the President are all unconstitutional. A sham constitutional court was created, which reduced our seats in parliament,” Khan, who has been in jail for two years in multiple cases, added.
In an unprecedented move, Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf’s seats were simply handed over to others. The constitutional courts, which are meant to deliver justice, are now filled with Munir’s minions, Khan alleged.
The former PM also accused Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja of perpetrating a historic electoral fraud.
“A judge of the Islamabad High Court is not hearing my appeals for seven months because he, too, receives instructions from Munir. At this time, Munir’s law prevails in our country, as if he owns Pakistan,” he said.
Khan stated that the judiciary, state institutions, and democracy are being eroded. “Military courts have been declared legal, an act that is essentially a vote of no confidence by the judiciary against itself. My wife, Bushra Bibi, is being used as a weapon to break me, but let me make this clear: I would rather die than accept Munir’s monarchy,” he added.
He said that a nation is doomed when incompetent individuals are “forcibly imposed upon institutions”. Talking about the torture inflicted on him, Khan said he was kept in solitary confinement for 22 hours a day and denied books, newspapers, and television.
Khan said he has told his sons to take the matter to international courts based on fundamental human rights.
