Imran holds British govt responsible for violence against PTI

LONDON: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) leader Imran Khan has said that the British government is responsible for the killings of PTI activists in Karachi on May 12, 2007, and Zahra Shahid Hussian’s murder this year after the general elections.
Speaking to the media in London during a Pakistani community’s Iftar party, Khan said that prior to the killing of Zahra Hussain on May 18, he had informed the British High Commissioner to Pakistan Adam Thomson that “a British citizen is inciting violence in Pakistan.”
“I told him (Adam Thomson) after Altaf Hussain made that speech. I told him that if anything happened, then I will hold you responsible. Zahra Shahid Hussain’s murder was a clear target killing, she had been receiving death threats. I want to say it again that the British Government is responsible for her murder and the murder of our workers on May 12, 2007.
Altaf Hussain made that provocative speech and after that our senior leader, a 70-year-old professor, was killed. No one has yet been caught. Killers are not arrested in Karachi. Who is giving protection to these people? I stand by my allegation,” Imran Khan said, who is in London for specialist physiotherapy for the rehabilitation of his bone which was hurt during the election campaign.
Khan said that he had approached the British Government first in 2007 when his party workers were killed in Karachi on May 12 when the chief justice of Pakistan visited the city, but violence erupted and dozens of Pakistanis were killed. Khan reiterated that he will raise his voice if his party workers are attacked again. “I approached the government (British) again why Zahra Hussain was assassinated. I want to make it clear that I stood for my party activists then (2007) and protested with the British Government, and I will stand with them if they are attacked at anytime.”
The PTI leader said that the British Government has started their own inquiries

into allegations relating to the MQM leadership, and “this is an internal matter of the British Government”. “We have done our job (by reporting our concerns) but as Pakistanis, we have nothing to do with these investigations. I have not been approached by the Scotland Yard with reference to these allegations.”
Imran Khan said that “unprecedented rigging” was done during the May 11th general elections, and the people of Pakistan were rendered unable to choose their favourite leadership. “It’s not about seats. It’s about the future of democracy in Pakistan.
The rigging that took place in these elections was unprecedented. Overseas Pakistanis arrived especially for these elections. The people of Pakistan came out on streets and agitated, carrying proofs with them.
Prior to the election, there was a carnival atmosphere in Pakistan and people were celebrating because they thought the elections will be free and fair. Those who got most votes didn’t win but the winners were those who were able to manipulate the elections, he said in reference to his party’s stance that the caretaker Punjab Government failed to act against the vote-riggers.
Khan made it clear that he didn’t want re-elections as “there are so many problems we are facing at the moment, and we want the system to run but rigging should not be encouraged in future”. “If people know that their votes will not make a difference, then they will not bother with voting at all. We want detailed investigation done in four constituencies to find out what happened, and it can be found through thumb prints. We want this done because we want future elections in Pakistan to be free. We cannot afford to let it go off because more rigging will take place in next election. If nothing is done now then the next election will be won by those who can rig more than others.” Khan said that the issue of Kashmir cannot be resolved through “military or militants”. He added: “We have always supported the right of self-determination for Kashmiris. This issue should be raised at every political level to gain support for Kashmiris.”
NNI adds from Karachi: Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) leader Haider Abbas Rizvi strongly criticized Imran Khan’s statement and said that the PTI leader was trying to protect his declining reputation and popularity among the people by levelling allegations against the MQM.