KARACHI: Defying the military establishment’s attempt to clear the air about his allegation of a foreign-sponsored conspiracy that led to his ouster, former prime minister Imran Khan on Saturday reiterated his stance about the involvement of the United States, demanded immediate elections in the country and vowed to continue his “street struggle”.

He also made it clear that he was not “anti-Indian, anti-European or anti-American”.

Addressing at a power show at the packed-to-capacity Bagh-i-Jinnah in Karachi, the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf chairman called the Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif as the mastermind of the “international conspiracy” and predicting his return to the country.

He said it would be a test of the judicial system that had opened its doors at midnight for his ouster.

Within a week after his ouster by the then opposition and now ruling coalition, the PTI staged a massive show of power in Karachi, where a large number of people converged to listen to the speech of their leader.

Mr Khan accused Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif of hatching a conspiracy to get his party disqualified in the foreign funding case.

In a veiled reference to the recent press conference of the director general of the Inter-Services Public Relations, he asked the people to raise hands to show his ouster was a result of a foreign conspiracy and not any “interference”. The crowd roared ‘conspiracy’ as soon as he finished his sentence.

Though he promised a peaceful campaign against the “imported government,” the former prime minister warned the new government not to take any step that would attract reaction from his side.

“They [new government] are now planning vendetta, placing blue-eyed officers in FIA [Federal Investigation Agency] and NAB [National Accountability Bureau] to file false cases against us,” he said.

“But let me warn you don’t go that far. We are peaceful and we will remain peaceful but such moves would create instability. We are not scared of these tactics.”

He said that his party wanted immediate election. “And you people of Karachi and Pakistan, you have to keep demanding this. In your cities and your villages, you have to come out of your homes to tell the whole world that we don’t accept this imported government.”

Mr Khan earlier arrived here via chartered jet. At the venue of the public meeting, he was welcomed with fireworks, party songs and loud slogans. The organisers shouted chants from the stage to rouse an already electrified crowd. As the rally proceeded, it took breaks within speeches of PTI leaders through songs from Salman Ahmed and Najam Shiraz.

With a stage made of 100-containers, giant screen over its top and loudspeakers installed on roads and streets leading to the venue, people were found on adjoining arteries.

Judicial commission

While claiming “deep respect” for the judiciary, the PTI chief made it clear that he “will never forget” its role in the Lettergate fiasco.

“Why you never asked for the letter which had threatened to oust an elected prime minister,” he asked. “I ask you with due respect why you never took notice when elected members sold themselves for money? You should have taken a suo motu action. How could they [MNAs] sell them against Rs200m or Rs250m and become part of the international plot.”

He then demanded an independent judicial commission to be led by the Chief Justice of Pakistan to probe into the “international conspiracy” revolving around the threatening letter.

He said the PML-N was running away from election.

He said he wanted the Election Commission to decide the fate of the foreign funding cases of PPP, PML-N and PTI together.

Calling PM Shehbaz Sharif ‘Mir Jafar’, the opposition leader said he was involved in setting the stage for vendetta against PTI workers, mainly those active on social media, for starting the “imported government Namanzoor” trend on Twitter.

Mr Khan encouraged what he called his “keyboard warriors” to keep the momentum alive.

He said he was told there were threats to his life. “But, I tell them I am not concerned about my life. It’s not about me. It’s about your future and it’s about the future of our generations. You have to fight and struggle for your sovereignty.”

He also announced that his party would organise a public meeting in Lahore on April 21 (Thursday).

Published in Dawn, April 17th, 2022