LAHORE: Days before a Supreme Court hearing on the date for elections across the country, PTI Chairman Imran Khan on Monday asked the ruling coalition to conduct elections, warning that in case of the government’s failure to call snap polls, the PTI alongside its supporters would take to the streets to protect the Constitution.

Speaking to party workers through video link from his Zaman Park residence, Mr Khan said the rulers were afraid of elections, knowing well that “they would be defeated and Imran Khan might revert the NRO and recover Rs1,100 billion looted money stashed abroad”.

“If this government violated the Constitution and the Supreme Court decision, the party workers and supporters as well as each Pakistani should get ready to come out on the roads for peaceful protests across the country,” Mr Khan said in his message to the nation.

He asserted that a country become a ‘Banana Republic’ if its Constitution was violated.

“It is mandatory for every Pakistani to come out on roads to save the Constitution…to protect the fundamental rights of people of Pakistan,” he asserted.

Imran says he ‘has no desire for revenge’ after coming to power; summons meeting of party leaders over ticket complaints

Answering questions from pro-PTI journalists at the event, Mr Khan said a country’s system is strengthened when its institutions, including judiciary, army, bureaucracy and police, become strong through merit.

No thirst for revenge

Mr Khan dispelled the impression that he would take revenge on his rivals after coming to power and asserted, “I will not take revenge but ensure the upholding of rule of law in the country”. He also said the PTI was not doing politics for personal gains but to drive the country out of crises.

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Answering another question about Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari’s proposed visit to India, Mr Khan said he had “severed relationships with India” when they had snatched Kashmiris’ statehood by revoking Article 370 on August 5, 2019. He asserted that Kashmiris’ martyrdoms should not go to waste and they must be given their due rights. “Pakistan can go for normalization of relations with India if it withdraws its decision of snatching statehood from Kashmiris,” he said.

A day earlier in his video-link address to the party workers at Zaman Park, Mr Khan said the PTI wanted to bring change through the power of the vote but the opponents were running away from elections. “The PTI’s opponents should be put on ECL before holding elections so that they should not run away from the country,” Mr Khan suggested.

The PTI chief said he along with his party workers was fighting a war for real independence in a peaceful manner. “Real independence is the core objective of my party’s struggle.”

He said only those nations progressed that upheld rule of law, while those committing injustices failed. In Pakistan, he regretted, the powerful were getting NROs, while the weak were being picked by unknown people and tortured.

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Mr Khan regretted that PTI’s Instagram coordinator Attaur Rehman was picked and no one knew about his whereabouts for the past six days.

The PTI chief also tweeted that it had been five days since the PTI activist was abducted. “We demand his immediate release and an end to abductions & torture of our social media activists. These young people have committed no crime and are being penalised simply for being part of PTI’s social media team,” he wrote on his Twitter handle.

Tickets for Punjab polls

PTI chief Imran Khan has called a meeting of review committees’ heads and district presidents to explain the complaints of the candidates who were not given tickets.

Sources say many aspirants were complaining and submitting certain proofs to explain that they were better-suited candidates in their respective constituencies.

They say Mr Khan would listen to party leaders on complaints and may decide to alter his decision regarding the award of the tickets.

While some 1,500 candidates had submitted their nomination papers to the Election Commission of Pakistan, Mr Khan said he could interview some 1,000 candidates before deciding about the award of party tickets. The PTI is supposed to take a decision about the change of party ticket candidate by Tuesday (today) night because Wednesday (tomorrow) would be the last date for submitting fresh party tickets.

Answering a question, Mr Khan said he would also interview women candidates looking for nomination on reserved seats. He said the criteria to select women candidates would be their loyalty towards the party and their capacity to contribute to the assembly.

Published in Dawn, April 25th, 2023