'Pak Army Behind Arrest, Shehbaz Sharif Govt Wants Anarchy': Imran Khan in 1st Address After Release

Pakistan’s former prime minister Imran Khan blamed the country’s powerful army for his arrest in his first address after an Islamabad court set him free. Khan returned to his Lahore home on Saturday after having locked himself in the Islamabad High Court premises for hours for fear of re-arrest despite being granted bail on Friday.

Addressing the nation from his Lahore home on Saturday, Khan questioned the army for not raising their voice against the US surgical operation in Pakistan. He said that he was the one to raise the voice and added that the spokesperson of the army’s military wing was not even born when he represented Pakistan in the world.

His remarks came in response to ISPR Director-General Major General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry’s statement in which he called Khan a “hypocrite”.

Khan said the Pakistan army should be ashamed of jumping into politics and suggested that it should form its own political party.

“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.

He also attacked the Shehbaz Sharif government and said that the ruling coalition feared of defeat in the elections and wants anarchy in the country.

“The government parties do not want the elections because they know they will be completely wiped out. That is why they planned this conspiracy (attack on military installations) and ran away from elections,” he said.

“I know, who wants to create anarchy in the country and take benefit of the tense situation,” he added.

In a major relief to Khan, the Islamabad High Court on Friday granted him protective bail for two weeks in a corruption case and barred the authorities from arresting the former Pakistan prime minister in any case registered anywhere in the country until Monday.

Khan distanced himself from violent protests that erupted in the wake of his arrest on Tuesday from IHC premises by Pakistan Rangers, asserting that “violence and vandalism is not my philosophy”.