Pakistan’s former prime minister Imran Khan says nation’s democracy at ‘an all-time low’
Imran Khan has claimed democracy in Pakistan is at “an all-time low” in an unique interview with Sky News.
The former prime minister mentioned – in his first interview since being bailed – that the federal government is “petrified of elections” they usually worry being “wiped out” by his get together on the polls.
He continued: “So they have decided that the only way they will allow elections is if I am inside jail or killed.”
Mr Khan revealed that “there have been two attempts” on his life and his home was raided whereas he was detained.
One of the “assassination attempts” was in November final 12 months when Mr Khan was shot in the leg throughout a rally in Punjab province.
Read extra: Unfazed and surprisingly alert – Imran Khan agrees to Sky News interview
Mr Khan condemned “all violence” when requested about alleged violence by protesters.
“Democracy is at an all-time low. The only hope we have is the judiciary,” he mentioned.
It comes after he was arrested earlier this week on corruption expenses, then launched on bail on Friday following a ruling from Pakistan’s High Court.
His detention sparked countrywide violence that left a minimum of 10 individuals lifeless and dozens injured.
On Friday, he mentioned: “The first time they showed me an arrest warrant was inside the jail. It happens in the law of the jungle, the military abducted me. Where were the police? Where is the law? It’s the law of the jungle. It seems there is martial law declared here.”
Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif criticised his launch on Friday, saying there was a “genuine corruption case” towards Mr Khan, “but the judiciary has become a stone wall protecting him”.
Mr Khan, 70, a well-liked opposition chief, was prime minister between 2018 and 2022.
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Former prime minister of Pakistan Imran Khan is arrested in Islamabad – video
Pakistan’s information minister defends arrest of Imran Khan
Pakistan’s info minister, Marriyum Aurangzeb, defended the previous skilled cricketer’s arrest.
She informed Sky News: “A person who has defied court, who does not abide by the law, who avoid courts and who thinks he’s untouchable and cannot be questioned, has to be treated the way every citizen is treated.”
She rejected claims that there have been political motives behind the arrest, as Mr Khan surfs a wave of recognition.
“If we wanted to arrest him or silence him because of his popularity, we would not have waited 14 months,” she mentioned.