Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah said that Imran Khan could be arrested after midnight as court protection expires.

Speaking to Asma Shirazi on Aaj News on Wednesday, Sanaullah referred to Imran as a ‘bluffmaster’ said that the ‘relief’ Imran is getting from courts will not go on for long and when his protective bail expires after May 17, he will eventually be arrested.

He added that Imran shouldn’t be afraid of jail because ‘nothing really happens there’. he added that Imran used to keep an eye on medicines and sleep schedules of PMLN leaders when they were in incarcerated.

He also alleged that Imran Khan had personally arranged the ‘mobs’ that attacked state and military buildings on May 9 and the whole thing was done Imran’s instructions. He added that Imran Khan had been involved in the same kind of activities since 2014.

Sanaullah said that there was video evidence identifying people who were part of the incidents of May 9 and added that most of the people arrested belonged to the tiger force.

Army Act for protestors?

Rana Sanaullah said that the decision on whether to use army act against those involved in May 9 incidents was to be made by the army. However, he did clarify that the army act would only be pplied on people involved in attacks against Military installations and attacks against other places would be investigated under ordinary laws.

He added that if things had reached the houses of the martyrs of the army, then it was necessary that action should be taken.

He said that there are audios proving that certain groups were ordered to attack GHQ and corp commander houses in case Imran Khan was arrested.

“They were blinded,” Rana Sanaullah said.

Ban on PTI?

The interior minister also said that the option of banning the PTI was available. He said that he personally wanted to defeat PTI through the polls but the party’s own actions had made it clear that it is a fitna.

He added that he did not consider PTI to be a political party because it had been propped up by the military. He added that Imran does not have any political traits because no politican would ever deny negotiations.

He added that he had already suggested that ‘minus Imran’ was the only solution.

“I already said that it would be either us or him,” he said.

He also added that the option of imposing emergency was available if the country’s condition was not conducive to elections by the time October arrived.

‘Court can’t send govt home’

Rana Sanaullah also said that the even if the court went the contempt route, it would not be able to dismiss the government. He said that that way of sending governments home would no longer work since it was what had brought the country to the present state.

He also said that the government does not thrust the three member bench of the court that gave the verdict in the election delay case and asked parties to negotiate, since certain judges were facilitating Imran.