ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan on Sunday threatened to launch a massive “street movement” if the ruling party “obstructs justice” and continued to “malign the judiciary”.

Expressing solidarity with the judiciary at a party workers convention, the PTI chief also lashed out at the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) for “maligning” the armed forces of Pakistan “to merely save the Sharif family from conviction on money laundering charges”.

“It seems that we will have to launch a final street movement. We will see if they (PML-N) allow the NAB courts to function. Will they obstruct justice? They are bent upon destroying the judiciary to merely save a corrupt family,” Mr Khan said, announcing plans to begin a countrywide tour to mobilise people.

“We will gather so many people in Islamabad that you won’t be able to find a place to stand,” the PTI chief warned at the conclusion of his nearly an hour-long speech at the convention, which had been arranged to launch a party membership drive and unveil their new website.

PTI chief accuses govt of devaluing democracy by allowing ‘criminal’ to lead ruling party

“They say that Imran Khan is standing with the army. This is our army. You are defaming them when they are doing nothing wrong. They are offering sacrifices from Fata to Balochistan. Yes, I am standing with the army,” he declared.

Mr Khan alleged that the PML-N was “provoking” the armed forces at a time when the military, for the first time in the country’s history, was openly saying that it stood by law and the Constitution.

He alleged that the PML-N was unhappy with the army because representatives of the intelligence agencies did their job on the Joint Investigation Team (JIT) that was constituted by the Supreme Court in the Panama Papers case.

He alleged that the PML-N had “devalued” democracy by passing a law allowing a “criminal” to head the party.

“The Sharif family is only interested in protecting their loot, even at the cost of democracy,” he said. When a sitting government does not accept the Supreme Court verdict, then democracy will definitely be derailed in the country, he said.

He said the country was heading towards a chaotic situation and fast becoming a banana republic.

The PTI chief alleged that the current government had posted “their cronies and corrupt” at the top of all important institutions. “Even the country’s finance minister is a money launderer,” he alleged.

The PTI chief also lashed out at Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif and Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal for making statements against the role of the army during their visits to the US.

Just as Asif Zardari used Hussain Haqqani to malign the army, the current rulers were also asking the US to protect them from the military, he alleged. He was particularly critical of the foreign minister’s remarks that Nawaz Sharif had been ousted from government because he desired friendship with India.

Mr Khan also had some unsavoury things to say about PPP co-chairman Asif Zardari, Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal and JUI-F chief Fazlur Rehman.

The PTI chairman held former president Zardari and former prime minister Nawaz Sharif responsible for the present state of affairs in the country.

Mr Khan said his party was fighting against the forces of status quo in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the government had implemented a system based on merit.

“PTI is at the peak of its popularity,” he claimed, adding that no political party in the country had ever gained such popularity. He said the PTI had changed the political culture of the country, adding that it was his party that introduced the use of social media in politics.

Published in Dawn, October 16th, 2017