Exclusive: Imran Khan hits out at ‘laughing stock’ government from his prison cell
Pakistan is at a “dangerous crossroads” after a flawed election which has left the government a laughing stock, jailed former prime minister Imran Khan has said.
Writing for The Telegraph from behind bars, the cricketer-turned-politician says the nuclear-armed country of 240 million people is in economic crisis and riven by political anger after February’s widely-criticised polls.
Mr Khan, who is serving lengthy corruption and national security sentences which he alleges are politically motivated, also raises the possibility that the country’s military leadership might attempt to assassinate him.
The world’s fifth most populous country has been buffeted by political turmoil for more than two years since Mr Khan was ousted as prime minister in a parliamentary no-confidence vote.
The 71-year-old was widely seen as having been edged out by the country’s powerful military establishment after falling out with its leadership during his administration.
He has since been hit with an avalanche of dozens of court cases, while his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party faced a stiff crackdown during campaigning for the February election.
Shehbaz Sharif, of the Pakistan Muslim League became prime minister of a coalition government after that election, but the UK at the time said there were “serious concerns...about the fairness and lack of inclusivity” of the poll.
The election saw widespread claims of rigging and irregularities after the polls closed, following an unexpectedly strong early showing for the PTI. Candidates backed by the PTI still won the highest number of seats in the national assembly.
The US State Department said at the time it was “concerned about allegations of interference in the electoral process. Claims of interference or fraud should be fully investigated.”
In an opinion piece for the Telegraph, Mr Khan says: “The people have shown in no uncertain terms their rejection of state electoral machinations and of the oppression, incarceration and torture of not just the PTI leadership but also of its workers.
“The military leadership has been subjected to overt criticism at a level unseen before in our history. The government is a laughing stock.”
The former cricketer is still fighting a barrage of court cases, after being given his lengthy sentences and being banned from political office in the run-up to the election.
Mr Khan was given a three-year jail term last August in a corruption case and in the days before the election was then given further sentences including 14 years for illegally selling state gifts and 10 years for revealing state secrets.
The ex-prime minister says the cases are an attempt to keep him out of politics.
He says: “The establishment has done all they could against me. All that is left for them is to now murder me. I have stated publicly that if anything happens to me or my wife, the Chief of Army Staff Gen Asim Munir will be responsible.
“But I am not afraid because my faith is strong. I would prefer death over slavery.”
He says the only route out of the country’s turmoil is “to restore the people’s mandate and release all political prisoners including those being held for trial under military courts”.
Pakistan’s political turmoil has struck a country already dealing with galloping inflation and an economic crisis, as well as worsening terrorism along its border with Afghanistan.
Mr Sharif earlier this week said he hoped the disbursement of $1.1 billion (£900 million) from the International Monetary Fund would “bring more economic stability in Pakistan”.
Its £280 billion economy faces a chronic balance of payments crisis, with nearly £19 billion to repay in debt and interest over the next fiscal year – three-times more than its central bank’s foreign currency reserves.
