Daily Times

LAHORE: Reiterating that he was not against the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) per se, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan has said that his party will accept any other person from the “Nawaz League” as the prime minister in place of Nawaz Sharif, who has been “proved guilty in the Panamagate”.

He said this while talking to journalists at a special lunch with them at a local hotel on Tuesday. He replied to several queries of the journalists in a pleasant and confident mood and showed his determination to continue the ‘Ehtesab Movement’. Imran said that the party had no objection if the PML-N changed its prime minister.

He categorically said that he had no plan to “topple the government”, and adding that he never predicted the end of the government because it (the current government) would not be toppled through protests, marches and sit-ins.

He said the government should not panic over the PTI’s march, as the party also had no plan to go to Nawaz Sharif’s residence and make the people of Lahore suffer, as he knew that the authorities would place containers to block the roads leading to Jati Umra. He said that the party only wanted “fair accountability” of the premier in the Panama case.

Imran Khan claimed that all opposition parties were standing by him on the Panama leaks issue and against corruption.

However, the PTI chief said he had no idea why the Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) chief was angry with him. He said he would invite Dr Tahirul Qadri to join the Raiwind march anyway.

To a query about his response if the government resorted to aggression during the Raiwind march, Imran said his workers would tackle it, as they “have had a good training during the last sit-in”. Later, talking to party workers in Township, the PTI chairman strongly condemned the government for arresting and torturing farmers and tenants who were protesting for their rights. He also urged the farmers that they should join the Raiwind march where they could highlight their problems freely.