Lahore, Sept 06: Pakistan’s jailed former prime minister Imran Khan on Saturday launched a fresh attack on Army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir, accusing him of “inflicting oppression” on the people to prolong his rule.
The patron-in-chief of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) has accused Munir of imposing an undeclared martial law, installing a puppet government under Shehbaz Sharif by stealing people’s mandate in last February’s election, and committing atrocities against his party workers.
“Today Asim Munir is inflicting oppression on the people of Pakistan to prolong his own rule, thus weakening the country,” Khan said in a post on X.
The 72-year-old cricketer-turned politician has been in jail for over two years in multiple cases.
“Those (Munir and company) who have stolen the people’s mandate are gripped by fear. It is because of this fear that oppression against us is increasing,” he said.
Khan also alleged that he and his wife Bushra Bibi are being kept in “solitary confinement” and being subjected to “mental torture only in the hope that I will break down and abandon my ideology”.
“The real purpose of this attempt to break me is to silence the people’s voice,” Khan said, adding that this was the same conduct that General Yahya Khan adopted at the time of the fall of Dhaka in 1971.
He was referring to former army chief General Yahya Khan, under whose regime East Pakistan witnessed a civil war, resulting in the rise of an independent state – Bangladesh.
“The only difference between 1971 and today is that now the people are more aware. Social media has exposed all the facts before the public, and the people have learned to stand up for their rights against tyranny,” he said.
“That is why this oppressive system will soon come to an end. The time has come for the people’s voice to be heard,” said the former premier, who was ousted from power in April 2022 through a vote of no-confidence.
Khan also strongly condemned the bomb blast at a rally in Balochistan held in connection with the death anniversary of Sardar Attaullah Mengal, in which at least 15 people were killed this week.
“I express my condolences to (Balochistan National Party chief and Mengal’s son) Akhtar Mengal. The situation in Balochistan is worsening by the day because elected representatives are not allowed to govern,” he said.
Khan called his party to “fully participate” in the strike called by Mahmood Achakzai in Balochistan on Monday.
“The people of Balochistan deserve to be freed from terrorism and the hybrid system imposed on them,” he said.
Khan said that in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, an operation has been launched to weaken the PTI government.
“This must be immediately stopped by the provincial government. I direct KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur in particular to strongly resist and halt this operation, as the people of the province are already suffering due to the floods,” he said.
“It is also the duty of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government to ensure that drone attacks in the tribal districts are stopped. Protecting the lives and property of the people is the responsibility of our government,” he added.
Khan said floods have devastated the country, destroying crops, livestock and the agricultural economy with the impact felt nationwide.
He urged all citizens to help the flood-hit, saying government institutions alone cannot face such a disaster.
The former premier further said he “feels pain” that the Pakistani government is expelling Afghan refugees from the country.
“At this difficult time, we are standing with them. The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government must also extend help to our Afghan brothers,” he said.
The efforts to send back Afghan refugees began in 2023 when the government announced to expel all illegal aliens. According to government sources, so far about 800,000 Afghan citizens have been repatriated.
