ITRAT BASHIR

LAHORE: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan has claimed that another plan has been hatched to assassinate him through a police operation; “the Inspector General (IG) Punjab, the IG Islamabad and the ‘handlers’ conceived the plan similar to that of Murtaza Bhutto’s murder.”

While sharing the details of assassination plan in his address to the PTI supporters through a video link here on Wednesday, the former prime minister claimed that they were trying to set a stage to carry out a fake police encounter against him as was done with Murtaza Bhutto.

“Today or tomorrow the Punjab Police were planning to carry out another operation at Zaman Park (Khan’s residence) after infiltrating their men in our crowd. These men would kill four to five policemen to provide a justification to the Punjab Police for retaliation and subsequently I would be killed in an encounter amid the mayhem,” he said. He told the Punjab Police that they would use them as bait to get to him; however, he appealed to his workers and supporters to show restraint in case of a police crackdown.

“You should not respond to police brutality and remain peaceful at all costs. The police would entice you to become violent and thus give them an excuse to come hard on us, but all the PTI supporters should not respond and allow the police to enter my home if they arrive with a new arrest warrant against me.”

“I am ready to be arrested, but I would not let my people die. I am not concerned about my possible arrest, but I am concerned about my workers. The judiciary should protect our rights,” he said. He reiterated that he was lucky to escape the assassination attempt in Islamabad during his visit to the Judicial Complex to attend a court hearing. He averred that the police tried to entice their supporter by throwing stones at them to create mayhem and set the stage to kill him. He claimed that he received information from inside the police that “unknown” people disguised in uniforms of the Counter Terrorism Department were deputed at the place and they also told him what was about to happen against him.

“All the footage of close circuit TV was mysteriously removed from the Judicial Complex while the IG scolded the policemen for allowing me to leave the complex,” he said, claiming that the IG was involved in the assassination attempt on him in Islamabad.

Khan alleged that the government attacked his residence as if a terrorist was hiding there. He further claimed that his party workers were separated from the rally and were being arrested while the police pelted stones from the roof outside the court during his appearance at the Islamabad court.

“I was mentally prepared to be arrested in Islamabad,” he added.

Khan also accused the ruling coalition of trying to oust his PTI party from the elections as they fear that their interests would be compromised if he returns to the power.

“The money they (the rulers) have stashed abroad was more than the money they were asking from the International Monetary Fund (IMF),” he added.

The former premier said that the inept rulers were destabilising the country and they were least concerned about what happens in the country as their interests lie abroad. Their only concern right now was looting the national wealth and hence they want to remove him, he added.

He urged the people not to abandon the struggle for their rights even if he was killed; “the rulers would make all efforts to make you their slaves, treat you like animals and thus deny you of your right to freedom. Break the shackle of fear and reclaim your right to freedom. If the incumbent rulers continue to stay at the helm, then the masses would have no future in this country,” he added. Khan also announced holding a public gathering at Minar-e-Pakistan on Saturday night where he would unveil the party’s future line of action.