LAHORE: PTI Chairman Imran Khan on Monday renewed his call for peaceful protests to save the Supreme Court, alleging that security agencies were facilitating ‘goons’ in the federal government to take over the top court and subvert the Constitution.

In a tweet, the former prime minister stated, “All citizens be ready for peaceful protests as once the Constitution and SC are destroyed, it is the end of the Pak dream.”

Mr Khan observed that some 7,000 PTI workers, leaders and women have been jailed without any investigation into the violence which broke out following the arrest of the PTI chairman, causing dozens of deaths and the destruction of government property.

“The government is actually planning to ban the largest and only federal party in Pakistan,” he said.

Claims ‘London Plan’ in motion to imprison him for 10 years

Earlier in the day, the former prime minister had posted a series of tweets asserting, “The complete London Plan is out.” Mr Khan stated that the authorities assumed the “role of judge, jury and executioner” on the pretext of violent protests while he was in jail.

“The plan now is to humiliate me by putting Bushra Begum in jail, as well as keep me incarcerated for 10 years using some sedition law,” he feared.

The execution of the ‘London Plan’ would be followed by a complete crackdown on the remaining members of the PTI, he said, adding that eventually, the PTI would be banned.

Mr Khan said that “houses are being broken in shamelessly and police are manhandling women in the houses”. “Never has the sanctity of chador and chaar dewaari (sanctity of home) been violated the way it is being done by these criminals,” he added.

“This is a deliberate attempt to instil so much fear in people that when they come to arrest me tomorrow, people won’t come out,” he added.

In order to ensure that there should be no public reaction, the PTI chairman tweeted that they had done two things: “First — deliberate terror is unleashed not just on PTI workers but on common citizens as well. Second — the media is totally controlled and muzzled.”

He also expressed his apprehension that the federal government would again suspend internet services and ban social media. Giving his message to the masses, Mr Khan stated, “I will fight for Haqeeqi Azaadi till the last drop of my blood because for me death is preferable than to be enslaved by these assortments of crooks.”

Speaking about the PDM sit-in outside the top court, Imran Khan said the protest was aimed “to overawe the Chief Justice of Pakistan so that he doesn’t give a verdict according to the constitution”.

He stated that Pakistan had already seen such a brazen attack on the Supreme Court when in 1997 PML-N attacked the court and removed then-CJP Sajjad Ali Shah.

Attack on Corps Commander House

PTI chairman Imran Khan late in the evening released important video evidence regarding vandalism and riots on May 9.

Sharing the video ‘evidence’ on his Twitter handle, Mr Khan wrote, “Our Central Punjab President Dr Yasmin Rashid and his sisters could clearly be heard telling the protesters not to harm Jinnah house.”

In the video, Dr Rashid can be seen leading the rally and asking party workers not to enter the Corps Commander House. “We have come here for protest,” she stated and added that workers should stay mindful of the miscreant elements in the rally.

The former prime minister in his tweet explained, “Clearly this was all staged by those who wanted to use this as a pretext to further crackdown on PTI, jail our workers and senior leadership along with me.”

“They have all done this so that the assurances given to Nawaz Sharif in the London plan could be honoured,” the former prime minister alleged.

FUNERAL PRAYERS IN ABSENTIA:

Later in the evening funeral prayers in absentia were offered for martyrs of May 9 at the Zaman Park.

“These people had come out of their homes to stage peaceful protests only for their rights but they were directly shot at,” Mr Khan said.

He also expressed his shock that many people sustained serious injuries and were in hospitals in critical condition. Mr Khan said it was a pity that the peaceful protestors were directly hit with bullets but no one was ready for investigation into it.

“Direct firing on their own people like they sprayed the peaceful protestors with bullets were not allowed anywhere in the world,” he said and equated this with the Jallianwala Bagh massacre.

Published in Dawn, May 16th, 2023