Amraiz Khan Lahore
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan on Friday alleged that Pakistan People’s Party Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari was among the four people allegedly involved in planning to kill him.
He made these remarks while addressing a press conference over the country’s economic situation, predicting ‘more economic challenges’ ahead.
Earlier in the day, Awami Muslim League chief Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed claimed that former president Asif Ali Zardari has hired a “group of terrorists” to target PTI Chairman Imran Khan. “Asif Ali Zardari is planning to target Imran Khan,” he claimed, adding that plans were being made to “assassinate” Imran Khan.
The PTI Chairman lambasted the government over the country’s economic situation, where the value of the Pakistani rupee had plummeted while the foreign exchange reserves had also fallen to dangerous levels.
Imran noted that in such a situation, financing will only be offered on terms which could have a direct impact on Pakistan’s national security. “In Sri Lanka and Egypt, when they sought financing in such a situation, they were told to cut their military expenses by half,” he said.
Imran Khan said, “Asif Zardari has given Sindh government’s money to a terrorist organization to assassinate me,” adding that they were using Sindh government’s ‘looted money’ against him. He further said, “They think that the only way to get me out of the way is actually to eliminate,” believing that efforts were underway to save those ‘four people’.
Speaking of the Wazirabad attack, he said he already knew about the bid to assassinate him. “I informed the public about the attempt and a recorded video, which consists of the names of all those who conspired against me,” he said.
“They backtracked from their attempt and went for a Plan B – in which they tried to kill me in the name of religious extremism,” he said, adding that that plan also failed.
Imran Khan also criticized the federal government for treating his party leaders as traitors, saying that the ‘fascist governments’ comprising their worst enemies were treating them as traitors rather than political opponents. He regretted that PTI leaders Fawad Chaudhary and Azam Swati had been subjected to treatment which is usually reserved for hardened criminals and traitors. “Such a treatment was being meted out to those who are raising their voice against the incumbent rulers,” he claimed, adding that almost 70 first information reports have been lodged against him as if he was some traitor.
