Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chairman Imran Khan on Monday urged Supreme Court of Pakistan to take suo motu on what he called abduction and illegal arrests of his party workers by police in Punjab and the federal capital.
Khan had earlier announced to go to the Supreme Court on Tuesday (today) to witness the proceedings of Panama leaks case, but in wake of the latest developments, it couldn't' be confirmed whether he would attend the proceedings or not.
Talking to media persons outside his residence in Bani Gala, he said both the Sharifs (Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his brother Minister Punjab Shahbaz Sharif) know nothing about democracy and the PTI workers were being arrested illegally.
"It is responsibility of the country's judiciary to defend democracy," he said, adding the country's judiciary is also on trial.
He also criticised the prime minister for his alleged disregard to human rights and democracy. "They have deprived the people of their democratic rights," he said, adding that Sharifs are product of dictatorship; therefore they know nothing about the democracy.
"If we talk about their corruption and rigging in the elections, they start crying the democracy is in danger," he said, adding that whenever his party holds them accountable for their corruption, they say the PTI is calling in army and hindering development in the country.
"Both the brothers are hypocrites," he said, "Asif Zardari was at least not a hypocrite, he never said that he would bring back his looted money."
Khan said that they have been plundering the country and always try to hide behind the democracy whenever questions are asked about their ill-gotten money.
Both the Sharifs have destroyed all the institutions in the country; so that nobody could hold them accountable for their misdeeds, he said, adding the PTI is being advised to wait for the 2018 elections. "A lot is going to happen before the 2018 elections," he said.
"It is our democratic right to protest against a prime minister who has been caught red-handed," he said, adding that his movement against corruption could continue till the logical conclusion.
He said the façade of Sharifs' democracy has vanished and everybody now knows about their dictatorship. "Even Musharraf's dictatorship was better than this democracy," he said.
To a question, he said that he is ready to go to jail but would come on the streets again when released. "This movement will go on and on till we hold the prime minister accountable for his corruption," he said.
Addressing the police and Frontier Constabulary personnel deployed there, Khan urged them to obey the law and not fire tear gas shells on the peaceful party workers.
He said the police personnel were drawing salaries from the national exchequer not from the Sharifs' accounts; therefore they should be loyal to the state instead of the royal family.
Khan said that he has got information that the law enforcers were planning of crackdown on the PTI workers present inside and outside his residence and warned them not to do this.
He said the party workers and leaders present there would resist the police and FC personnel if they tried to arrest them.
-Business RecorderÂ
