Imran Khan accuses opponents of a conspiracy

The incident of firing on Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan: condemning the attack on a politician and recommending he be banned from office

Pakistan’s ex-Prime Minister Imran Khan was shot in the foot at a rally Thursday, according to an official from his party, which said the incident was an assassination attempt.

The former Pakistan cricket captain was taken from the rally site to be treated for a problem that is related to his time in cricket. Three people were injured by gunfire. The extent of the other injuries are not yet known.

On Thursday, the Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the attack on his political rival.

“I condemn the incident of firing on PTI Chairman Imran Khan in the strongest words,” Sharif wrote, adding that he has asked for an “immediate report on the incident” and will pray for the recovery of those injured.

On October 21, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) recommended that Khan be disqualified from holding political office for five years, a move likely to further inflame political tensions in the country.

Khan made false statements regarding the declaration of the sale of gifts sent to him by the leaders of Saudi Arabia andDubai during his time in office, as an offence that is illegal under the country’s constitution, according to the commission.

According to CNN, Khan wrote a letter to the president of Pakistan stating that his party had been accused of a lot of things since he was removed from power.

A Tribute to the Benazir Bhutto and Raza Gillani Assassinations: CNN’s Anderson Interview with Khan

His claims have struck a chord with a young population in a country where anti-American sentiment runs high, and anti-establishment feelings are being fueled by a rising cost of living crisis.

The assassination of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto and the assassination attempt on the prime minister Yousaf Raza Gillani happened within a few years.

In an interview with CNN’s Anderson on Monday, Khan said he had three bullets removed from his right leg. The left had some shrapnel which they’ve left inside.”

Khan said that he knew that the shooting that wounded him last week would take place and that he had learned from within intelligence agencies.

Last week, the Pakistani intelligence agency said it had communicated “about the threat” to Khan prior to the rally. The Punjab provincial government was warned about the threat to the former prime minister by the organization, according to Inter-Services Intelligence.

The ISI also said that Khan’s security was under the authority of the provincial government of Punjab, which is led by Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party.

A Pakistani Defense Minister addressing a gunman’s alleged cult in the aftermath of the September 24th shooting incident: “I am so sorry you’re here”, he told NPR

They are in that speech as the events unfolded. How that fanatic would kill me and they’d blame him is an unanswered question. He mentioned that he put this in a speech he spoke on September 24th, in which he described how the events of the shooting would unfold.

The Pakistani defense minister, Khwaja Asif, also dismisses allegations that there was a plan to kill Khan. “The whole thing is so scandalous, this allegation,” Asif said in response to a question by NPR at a press conference he held in Islamabad on Friday. He likened it to a cult, in that Khan used to whip up his supporters. This is stretching it a bit too far and I think the accusation of conspiring to murder him is incorrect.

“Pakistan army prides itself for being an extremely professional and well-disciplined organisation with a robust and highly effective internal accountability system applicable across the board for unlawful acts, if any, committed by uniformed personnel,” the statement read.

“However, if the honour, safety and prestige of its rank and file is being tarnished by vested interests through frivolous allegations, the institution will jealousy safeguard its officers and soldiers no matter what,” it continued.

“What is happening is that the government is petrified of elections,” said Khan. “They’re scared that we’re going to win the elections. Therefore, they’re trying everything to get me out of the way, including assassination,” said Khan, who survived an apparent attempt on his life in November when a gunman shot him in the leg.

Pakistan seems to lurch from crisis to crisis, highlighted by Khan’s statements. Analysts say this country, a nation that is nuclear-armed and the fifth most populous in the world, faces a particularly dire moment.

The country is on the verge of economic default because inflation has made people cut back on food and millions are near starving, as the International Monetary Fund stalls on releasing part of its current aid to the country.

Pakistan’s PM tells NPR: “What’s going on in my house?'” A Pakistani politician insists elections will be held on time

Khan said his supporters were “extremely worried” that security forces would either “abduct or kill me. You have supporters camped outside of my house to protect me.

Khan tells NPR he will pursue corruption cases, particularly against the two political dynasties that have dominated Pakistan’s civilian governments over the past few decades — the Bhuttos and the Sharifs. His supporters believe both families are corrupt.

But Khan insisted that wouldn’t affect the party’s popularity. “It doesn’t matter because the party I lead now has a popularity wave unprecedented in our history. So whether I am in jail or not, the party is going to sweep the elections anyway,” he said.

The electoral commission delayed elections in Punjab from April 30 to October 8 after the Supreme Court ordered the polls to be held on time. The federal elections are expected to be delayed in October.

The defense minister said they would be held on time. The elections will be held on time, even as he acknowledged that the government’s popularity had waned over the past year.

Source: https://www.npr.org/2023/03/24/1165728882/pakistan-imran-khan-conspiracies-politics

“I’ll fight in Pakistan for the rule of law,” Asif told reporters at the Aharonov-Sanlah-Bajwa factory in Pakistan

“It’s not the severity of the laws — it is the certainty of punishment that stops crime in Pakistan. “The powerful have always gotten away with stealing from the country because they are above law.” “So I’ll fight in Pakistan to bring the powerful elite under the law. This is the battle. Our people get a level playing field when we do that.

In his press conference, Asif said there was a glaring contradiction in Khan’s insistence on the rule of law: The former prime minister has repeatedly skipped court appearances, and his supporters routinely clashed with security forces.

Critics of Khan say that his attacks on his rivals are partly to blame for Pakistan’s divisiveness today. While Khan was in power, he was not able to successfully prosecute cases against his rivals. His detractors say there wasn’t enough evidence, while Khan believes the former army chief helped them avoid prosecution.

Moreover, the perception of corruption in Pakistan actually worsened during Khan’s rule. According to the 2022 report from the anti- corruption group, Pakistan has ranked at 140 in terms of corruption under the previous government, and 180 are the most corrupt country.

Khan first blamed Washington for his ouster, but more recently, he has offered a more complicated narrative in which he claims the former army chief, Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa, orchestrated a campaign to turn Washington against him.

Khan said that the Pakistan-U.S relationship has always been unfair because of its constant asking for money. He said the U.S. treats Pakistan like people who beg for money.

Source: https://www.npr.org/2023/03/24/1165728882/pakistan-imran-khan-conspiracies-politics

Imran Khan, the International Monetary Fund, and the Status of the Development of a Free Trade Agreement with the IMF in the 21st Century

The current coalition government is struggling to convince the International Monetary Fund to resume the loan program that was stopped in 2011. It’s expected to be finished by the summer. Economists don’t think that the institution would agree to another rescue.

Khan said bringing on fair elections would “bring political stability because a government would come in with a mandate for five years,” he said, “to have sweeping reforms.”

Inskeep interviewed Imran Khan from Washington, D.C.; Hadid reported from Islamabad. Majd al-Waheidi produced the web version of the interview, while Ally Schweitzer edited it.