To set aside differences with govt in case tension with India mounts: Imran

KARACHI: Imran Khan, Chairman Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf, said on Saturday his party would stand with the armed forces and set aside political differences with the government in case tension with India mounts.

“We will see to what levels it goes to. If it heightens we will support the armed forces and set aside our political differences,” Khan told a group of senior journalists.

The opposition PTI would march on Raiwind on September 30 to pressurise Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s government to initiate a probe into his family members’ offshore holdings as revealed by the Panama Papers.

When asked would he consider deferral of the march, Khan said the march is peaceful but in case of worsening relations between Pakistan and India following the recent attack in Uri in occupied Kashmir, he “would be with the armed forces”. But the cricketer turned politician fell short of saying he would consider ending his political differences with the Nawaz Sharif government. “I don’t see it (Pakistan India border tension) going to such levels,” he, however, added.

Khan said the Panama corruption is a key issue faced by Pakistan and his party had given ample time to all the institutions to probe and act against the group of corrupt persons named in the Panama Papers.

“Panama is an open and shut case. But we have waited almost six months for NAB, courts, FBR, SECP ... and no institution has yet probed the Panama corruption issue,” Khan said. “We have only decided to go for a peaceful march since none of these have acted, rather they have acted to save Nawaz and the group of other looters.”

Khan termed the pm  as “the king of corruption” who will never allow the institutions to probe against corrupt elements.

Khan declined to spell out his post September 30 plan and said “what happens after the 30th, I don’t know, but I know if I don’t go for the march now, the money from Panama corruption would be spent in the next general elections to maintain the status quo.”

“I don’t know the outcome of this peaceful march, but we will try our best to stop the rigging through the Panama money in the next general elections.” He said the party had already planned the next phase of protests following the September march, which will be disclosed on the coming Friday. “We have planned the next step which I can’t disclose right now.” he said his party had never demanded ouster of the government, “I only have been asking the prime minister to answer the Panama corruption allegations. We never wrote or will never write any letter to any third empire to intervene.”

He warned the government on using force to stop the march and said any such move would be counterproductive.  “If they use the Punjab Police, if they use force it would backfire on them,” Khan said.