Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said on Wednesday that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chief Imran Khan is under the threat of arrest ‘due to his ego’.
He made the remarks during an interview on The Daily Show with Kal Penn, where talking about the possible arrest of the former prime minister, Bilawal said “Pakistan is facing a perfect storm”.
The foreign minister added that the courts asked Imran to appear and contest the cases against him, but “he [Imran] says I’m Imran Khan, and I’m too important, and I’m not going to turn up to court”.
He added that he comes from a family who faced genuine arrests during military dictatorships, adding that he would never want any politician to go to jail for political reasons.
Bilawal further said that the PTI chief has violated court orders time and again, adding that “finally the courts have instructed the police to produce him before the court”.
He also highlighted the crises the country currently faces. “Not only do we have heightened partisanship and political polarization, to the extent that political parties or stakeholders aren’t even in a position to sit in a room and discuss issues amongst themselves, we are also facing an economic crisis,” he said.
Bilawal highlighted the security threat and the security crisis that the country is currently facing in the fallout from the fall of the Afghan government and the increasing terrorist attacks taking place in Pakistan.
Bilawal added that in the midst of all these simultaneous crises, “Pakistan has the question of Imran Khan, who believes the Constitution doesn’t apply to him”.
Talking about the deal with International Monetary Fund, Bilawal said the negotiations are ongoing and have not concluded.
He said that the deal was made by the previous government, which they “violated, putting Pakistan in an extremely precarious economic situation”.
The foreign minister added that the economic impact of the war in Ukraine, the Covid pandemic, devastating floods, and security threats have put the economy under incredible strain and stress.
