LAHORE – Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Central Leader Mian Javed Latif said that under the guise of negotiations with PTI, the pressure being exerted for release of Imran Khan.
“Nation will react if Imran Khan released due to pressure,” said Javed Latif, the former federal minister, while addressing a press conference at party secretariat in Model in Lahore on Friday.
Javed Latif warned that civil disobedience is a greater crime than the events of May 9, and if the PTI founder is released under pressure, the nation would rise in protest.
He said that the whole truth is not being revealed under the current circumstances. He emphasized that if the truth is not disclosed, the nation would fail to progress.
He criticized a political party for hiring lobbying firms to work against the state while the state appears weak in presenting its case globally. He pointed out that foreign funding, which is prohibited, is visibly in use, further exacerbating the issue.
Javed Latif also questioned the double standards in democracy and human rights, noting their absence in regions like Lebanon, Syria, Gaza, and Palestine, yet their advocacy for a single individual. He recalled that slogans like “Respect the Vote” in 2018 did not resonate with democracy back then.
He remarked on the silence over the assassinations of national leaders like Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, highlighting the absence of human rights and constitutional supremacy during such events. Yet, now these principles are being raised for one individual.
The PML-N leader alleged that after his US visit, Imran Khan claimed to have “won another World Cup,” while the US seeks access to Pakistan’s nuclear capabilities. He stressed that living a life of dignity is preferable to being dictated to or enslaved.
Referring to the events of May 9 and 10, Javed Latif said if such racial riots had occurred elsewhere, courts would have swiftly sentenced even those responsible for tweets and re-tweets. He called the planners of May 9 a rebellion against the state.
He further alleged that General (retd) Faiz Hameed was part of the planning that incited rebellion within the institutions but failed. In any other country, such a traitor would have been shot.
Javed Latif criticized the focus on releasing Imran Khan, raising a question as to why the truth about external pressures is not being revealed. He suggested these actions are driven by a desire to repay personal favors or weaken Iran and limit China’s influence.
He reiterated Pakistan’s right to nuclear missiles if India possessed them, saying that the country would not succumb to global powers’ pressure.
The former federal minister said the nation would not compromise on its freedom, and would chose death with dignity over submission. He highlighted grievances with the institutions within Pakistan and asserted that even Bhutto, despite being sentenced to death, did not call for civil disobedience.
Latif questioned why the certain individuals within institutions facilitated some actions, allowed attacks on military installations to be tried in the civilian courts instead of the military courts. He warned that the truth must be revealed by the institutions’ spokespersons to prevent further damage to the nation.
