Daily Times

Ex-prime minister Imran Khan slammed Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Raja Sultan on Wednesday, accusing him of being anti-PTI and issuing numerous verdicts against his party.

The PTI chairman talked extensively on social media about his party’s challenges and problems since taking power in August 2018, emphasizing that NRO II will be disastrous for the country.

“Ex-President Pervaiz Musharraf gave Asif Zardari and Nawaz Sharif NRO I, and now if they both get NRO II, no one will accept the justice system in Pakistan, which is dangerous for the country,” Imran Khan said.

Imran Khan was speaking during a Twitter Spaces session that drew hundreds of thousands of listeners from around the world.

The former prime minister has recently held rallies and public gatherings across the country as part of the PTI’s campaign to galvanize public support for an early election in the country, and his participation on Twitter was also a part of that campaign.

In response to the current political situation and his ouster via the no-trust motion, the ex-prime minister stated that in his first speech after taking office, he stated that they [the current ruling alliance] would all unite against him.

“In the name of democracy, all other parties will campaign against me,” he said in his first speech as Prime Minister.

Imran Khan turns on former aides with firearms

Without naming names, Imran Khan stated that his disgruntled party members Aleem Khan and Jehangir Khan Tareen tried to take advantage of the PTI’s government.

“Some of our people thought they’d make money after we took power, but we tried to stop them,” he added.

“When sugar prices rose to Rs26, our government tried to stop them,” Imran Khan continued, “but those people exposed themselves.”

‘The CEC opposes PTI’

Khan also voiced his displeasure with Sikandar Raja Sultan, the Chief Election Commission (CEC). On Monday, Khan stated that the appointment of the chief election commissioner had reached a stalemate between the then-opposition and the government.

The establishment suggested Sultan’s name in light of the situation, he said, adding that the CEC should be appointed by an independent body.

During the Twitter Spaces session, however, Imran Khan stated, “CEC Sultan Raja is too anti-PTI because he has announced many decisions against our party.”

“If an investigation into the party funding of all political parties, including PML-N and PPP, is conducted, I can challenge that only PTI has proper data of foreign funding, but both PML-N and PPP will be unable to provide such data,” he claimed.

Lettergate

Concerning the “letter gate” conspiracy, in which Imran Khan claimed that the US government was involved in deposing him through a no-trust motion, he said, “I had invited the heads of the then opposition alliance to see the letter, but they did not come.”

The former prime minister went on to say that no one should criticize the Pakistan Army because the country requires it more than Imran Khan.

“When Nawaz Sharif was deposed, he began speaking out against institutions,” he said, adding that “the country would have been divided into three pieces if the Pakistan Army had not been present.”

‘Traitors’

Dissident party MNAs were also labeled traitors by the PTI chairman. It is worth noting that, prior to the no-confidence vote against Imran Khan, approximately 24 PTI members announced their intention to leave the ruling party. “During the current scenario, many electables remained loyal to us, but several of them betrayed us for personal gain,” he explained.

‘The Allies were blackmailing each other’

“I did not give party tickets in the 2018 elections, but this time I will give tickets after a proper scrutiny,” Imran Khan said, shedding light on the country’s preparations for the upcoming election.

Imran Khan also referred to his experience as the “worst of all” when it came to leading the country as part of a coalition government.

He claimed that his government had endured a difficult period due to the PTI’s razor-thin majority in the National Assembly.

“We were blackmailed most of the time because of the coalition government, and every time the PTI government had to compromise for passing laws,” he said, adding that “therefore, I ask the masses to vote for the PTI next time for a clear majority so we can build a strong government.”