Pakistan: Imran Khan slams Army for jumping into politics

Imran Khan

Lahore, May 14 (PTI) Pakistan's former prime minister Imran Khan hit out at the country's powerful army in his first address after an Islamabad court set him free, saying it should be ashamed of jumping into politics and could form its own political party.

Addressing the nation from his Lahore home on Saturday, Khan took strong exception to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) allegations against him and said the spokesperson of the army's military wing was not even born when he represented Pakistan in the world.

“I kept Pakistan’s flag high world over. Never has ISPR made such a statement. You should be ashamed of yourself. You have jumped into politics. Why don’t you make a [political] party, Khan said in an hour-long maiden speech after the Islamabad High Court gave him blanket relief in all 145 cases registered against him.

Looking furious over the manner the military establishment was bent upon crushing his party, Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI), Khan, during his address from his Zaman Park residence at 8 pm, asked the military leadership to review its "anti-PTI policy" for the sake of Pakistan, saying its steps have already brought the country to brink of disaster. A triumphant Khan returned to his Lahore home on Saturday after having locked himself in the Islamabad High Court (IHC) premises for hours for fear of re-arrest despite being granted bail on Friday.

Before leaving for Lahore, the 70-year-old Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief hit out at the “imported government for kidnapping” him despite the IHC granting him bail in all cases.