PTI chief Imran Khan has claimed that there was martial law in Pakistan and the country was being run by the army chief.

“Look, the democracy right now is in the doldrums because it looks like martial law right now,” he said during an interview with Times Radio that aired on Monday. “I mean, the country is basically been run by the army chief now.”

The PTI chief was asked about the future of his party and democracy in Pakistan amid the ongoing political situation.

Khan had also made such claims during an interview with BBC earlier this month when he appeared in the Islamabad High Court to seek bail in multiple cases, which he got in a single day. He blamed the army chief for all the incidents after his arrest on May 9.

He alleged that a perception that Khan would notify the army chief after coming to power led to such political developments.

In Times Radio interview, the PTI chief went on to add that the future of democracy was “very bright” in Pakistan because his party with his 70% vote bank cannot be stopped.

“So whenever you have elections, in fact, the sympathy factor, has grown the vote bank, if anything has grown. So if a party has a vote bank, it’s only a matter of time before there are elections, whatever sort of elections and the party will win,” Khan said.

When asked about the ECP’s decision to disqualify him from holding public office and the state gifts case, he described it as a “complete joke” and the case.

The case is pending in the court and the PTI chief believes that the case would be “thrown out” as it was a ridiculous case. Another case is about the 190 million pounds case, earlier called as Al-Qadir Trust. Out of the 159 cases, these are the two corruption cases.

Ready for talks with establishment, including army chief

In an interview with Independent Urdu, Khan said that he was ready for talks with the establishment, including the army chief. He added that the prime minister was “irrelevant” as the COAS was taking decisions.

“I am a politician, ready for talks with anyone including the establishment and the army chief. It takes two to tango and I think no one here is ready for talks,” Khan said.

He was asked whether the PTI chief was ready for negotiations with PM Shehbaz Sharif and COAS General Asim Munir.

He went on to claim that the army chief’s statements on social media implied that there was an attempt to finish his party.