‘Entire nation looking towards neutrals’: Imran Khan

PESHAWAR: Reacting to the ongoing crackdown against the PTI’s workers and a ban on the Azadi March, the party’s chairman and former prime minister Imran Khan, while addressing the "neutrals", said the entire nation is looking towards them.

Addressing a press conference in Peshawar, Imran said: “Neutrals! the entire nation looking towards you. A judgment will be passed on you [...] you will also be responsible if the country goes towards destruction."

He announced to carry on with the party's "Azadi March" despite the government's decision to stop the long march. Imran said he would lead the "biggest procession" in Pakistan’s history tomorrow.

Turning his guns towards the PMLN-led government, the PTI chairman said he has been witnessing the Sharif family adopting the same tactics as military dictators since 1985.

“They tend to remember democracy as soon as they leave power,” he said, noting that the ruling parties had taken to the streets against the PTI government during the last 3.5 years.

“They entered the houses of people and didn’t care for the privacy of women,” he said.

He condemned that the police entered the house of a retired army major while referring to a video that surfaced on social media in which a girl is in tears and saying that the cops harassed her.

'Message for judges'

The PTI chairman asked the people to break the "chains of fear", while giving an example of how Afghans fought foreign powers. He said that the government cannot put a sea of people — who are willing to come out in his support — behind bars.

He asked the bureaucracy of Punjab how they could follow the orders of Punjab CM Hamza Shahbaz. The incumbent chief minister doesn’t have a majority vote, he added.

He warned the authorities of action against every unlawful order they follow.

"I have a message for the neutrals, judges and lawyers: it is a decisive time. I ask the judiciary and neutrals what kind of a government they want," Imran said.

He asked what kind of treason was being committed in Pakistan that PTI's MNAs have been arrested.

‘Coalition govt ruined economy’

Speaking about the economic condition of Pakistan, Imran said that the PTI clearly stated that the situation was worse, but the incumbent government ruined the economy in just 1.5 months.

He said that there is only one solution to all the problems — immediate elections. Imran added that he fears that Pakistan would witness the same fate as Sri Lanka.