Former Prime Minister Imran Khan expressed frustration on Saturday, stating that despite court orders, he was not allowed to hold meetings in jail with PTI leaders regarding the distribution of party tickets for the upcoming elections.
He accused PML-N leader Nawaz Sharif of manipulating the match “with the umpires of choice.” Imran Khan made these remarks after attending court proceedings in the Toshakhana case.
During the interaction, Imran Khan criticized the leniency shown by the courts towards his opponents, particularly mentioning a certified money launderer who returned to Pakistan under the London Plan. He alleged that this individual was given a safe passage, insinuating favoritism in the legal proceedings.
Before the court proceedings, several PTI workers and candidates approached Imran Khan to express their grievances about being denied party tickets. In response, Imran Khan explained that he had minimal input into the ticket distribution process, involving 850 tickets, and was unaware of the specific allocations.
He emphasized the difficulty of making quick decisions on such matters in brief discussions with party leaders.
When asked about the possibility of holding dialogue with certain quarters, Imran Khan mentioned that he had been offered dialogue 18 months ago but was uncertain about the details. He stated that the only remaining issue for discussion was ensuring free and fair elections.
Expressing concerns over the resignation of two senior judges of the Supreme Court, Imran Khan believed that attempts against PTI’s election symbol of the “bat” were aimed at weakening the party before the elections. He pledged to fight till the last ball, regardless of challenges.
Regarding support for Sheikh Rashid in the elections, Imran Khan stated that the party had decided not to accommodate those who held a press conference to condemn the leadership.
Regarding an article recently published in The Economist, Imran Khan mentioned that he had verbally dictated the article to his lawyers and instructed them to gather more information from his recorded interviews.
The jail administration reportedly intercepted hand-written notes from Imran Khan, but they were later returned with the judge instructing the removal of Khan’s signatures.
In the Toshakhana case proceedings, Judge Mohammad Bashir recorded statements from four witnesses, with eight witnesses testifying so far. Further proceedings have been adjourned until January 15.
