Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan at a public gathering in Buner on Sunday accused ousted premier Nawaz Sharif of attempting to provoke the army to "take over".
"He [Nawaz] keeps asking, 'Why was I removed?'," the PTI chief said, referring to the Supreme Court's disqualification of the ex-PM from public office and a court-ordered accountability reference against Sharif and his children in which he is set to be indicted on Oct 9.
"The only reason why Nawaz Sharif and his ministers are attacking the judiciary and army is to hide his money laundering," he claimed.
"Because if Nawaz Sharif is punished for money laundering, then all his money, bank accounts and properties will be frozen. They will be sold and the money will return to Pakistan," he said.
"So he's trying his best to save himself, that's why he's trying his best that the army takes over. He will destroy the country to save himself," the PTI chief told the gathering.
"Get ready," he told the youth of Buner. "If he does this, then the PTI will be on the streets of Islamabad and we will not let him be successful in destroying the order of our country."
Civil-military relations have appeared tense following Sharif's disqualification, as the ex-PM in his 'homecoming' Grand Trunk Road rally railed against a 'conspiracy' to remove him, making repeated allegations against "a few" who had "conspired to overthrow the democratic government".
However, Sharif has been unable to specify exactly who the conspirators are, but alleges that they are against the progress his government was making and the apparent re-election of the PML-N in the 2018 polls.
The strain in ties came to the fore as questions were raised over the deployment of Rangers outside the Federal Judicial Complex in Islamabad last week, where Sharif had presented himself for an accountability hearing.
The paramilitary force did not allow Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal to enter the compound, prompting an outburst from him and a subsequent inquiry into who was responsible for the forces' deployment. Following the probe, the Rangers withdrew its personnel from Parliament House security, saying they required a written order to perform their duties.
The army's media wing, however, claims the armed forces have no plans to impose martial law. Director General Inter-Services Public Relations Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor at a press conference last week said: "Saying that there is going be a martial law should not even be talked about. We are busy in doing our duty as stated in the Constitution."
