MUZAFFARABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf chairman Imran Khan said on Sunday that democracy faced no threat from the army but from what he called the dictatorship of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and added that people would welcome a military takeover.

“In Turkey an attempt was made to overthrow a democratically-elected government, but the people of Turkey poured onto streets to save democracy, whereas in Pakistan there is loot and plunder and monarchy is being established in the name of democracy and (therefore) if the army took over (power in Pakistan), the people will celebrate and distribute sweets,” Mr Khan said at an election rally in Islamgarh, Mirpur district.

“When a government serves the people, they stand by it exactly like what the world witnessed in Turkey,” Mr Khan said, adding that Turkish leader President Recep Tayyip Erdogan strengthened Turkish currency lira and cleared all debts ultimately benefitting the Turkish people who in turn thwarted the conspiracy to topple the democratic government. On the contrary in Pakistan, he said, Mr Sharif had crushed the people under debts and raised his personal fortunes instead of making the country economically stable.

The PTI chief alleged that both the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and National Accountability Bureau (NAB) were under the influence of the PML-N government and did not possess guts or authority to perform their duties independently.

He said that 13 corruption cases were pending against Mr Sharif in NAB but its chairman was the prime minister’s pawn.

He said that Mr Sharif could not hold anyone accountable because he himself was involved in the transfer of ill-gotten wealth out of Pakistan. “Since in democracy a prime minister is answerable to the people, Mr Sharif should tell the nation from where his children had got so much money to establish offshore companies and buy expensive apartments,” he demanded.

“But whenever he (the PM) is asked these questions he responds with his sad stories instead of giving specific replies,” he said.

The PTI leader observed that if Mr Sharif believed in democracy, he would have presented himself before parliament.

“The British prime minister is also answerable to the people while Moammar Qadhafi, Hosni Mubarak and Saddam Hussein were not,” he said.

Condemning Indian atrocities in occupied Kashmir, he said that Pakistan could not put pressure on India unless it became strong.

Published in Dawn, July 18th, 2016