SIALKOT, Sept 4: Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaaf chairman Imran Khan has said that the greatest threat to the country is not religious extremism but the war against terrorism.

Addressing a meeting of the Daska Bar Association on Tuesday, he said: “Pakistan Army has become a mercenary force fulfilling someone else’s agenda while intelligence agencies are a curse for this country. These agencies rig elections and support the corrupt people. After polls, they blackmail the politicians showing them their corruption cases.”

He said the politicians who were trying to strike some deal with Gen Pervez Musharraf, were hatching a conspiracy against the nation and the country. Imran said the main objective of the second phase of lawyers’ movement was to oppose the re-election of President Musharraf.

“Political forces should remain more cautious during this phase,” he said.

Later addressing a public meeting at Daska city, the PTI chief said Pakistan was a rich-man country where the elite commanded respect and enjoyed every facility. The poor had been denied health, education and basic amenities of life.

Mr Khan said the primary education system of Pakistan had almost collapsed. “The annual budget of a Singaporean University is equal to the total budget of Pakistan for education.”

He criticised the demand of Benazir Bhutto for granting amnesty to exiled politicians from 1988 to 1999. “Now the leader of the `fascist party’ of Pakistan — Altaf Husain — is also speaking of amnesty.”

Earlier, lawyers, politicians and traders accorded a warm welcome to Imran Khan at Glotiyaan and brought him to Daska in the form of a big procession.