In a desperate bid to return to power, Imran Khan warned that Pakistan will disintegrate if the military establishment doesn’t intervene at present. Since a no-confidence motion was moved against him, he has been on a warpath with the Pakistan Army which is considered the most powerful institution in the country and repeatedly exhorted it to shed its neutral stance. However, on April 9, he became the first Prime Minister in Pakistan’s history to be ousted through a no-trust motion as the Supreme Court ruled in the opposition’s favour.
Predicting that the Pakistan Army will be destroyed if it doesn’t help him return to power, the former PM contended that his country was on the verge of bankruptcy if the Shehbaz Sharif-led government continues in office. Moreover, he claimed that a conspiracy was afoot to ask Pakistan to give up its nuclear weapons owing to the dire economic condition. Recalling his last night as the PM of Pakistan, he contended, “Those institutions which give a foundation and strengthen the nation ended up weakening the country”.
Speaking to Pakistani news outlet Bol News, Imran Khan remarked, “This is about Pakistan. This is about the establishment. If the establishment doesn’t take correct decisions now, I am telling you in writing that they will be destroyed first. The Army will be destroyed first because the country is going towards bankruptcy. What will happen to the country if it goes bankrupt? I will tell you the sequence. Since they (PDM) have come to power, the value of the rupee and stock market is falling. Commodities are becoming expensive. Pakistan is moving towards default. That implies that Pakistan is moving towards bankruptcy.”
He added, “The biggest institution that will be hit is the Pakistan Army. If the Army is hit, we will be asked to give concessions like Ukraine- denuclearize. Their biggest problem is that we are the only Muslim country that has a nuclear deterrent. If we lose that, what will happen? I am telling you today that Pakistan will break into three parts. Look at the normal think tanks in India. There are plans to severe Balochistan. They have made such plans. So, if the correct decisions are not taken now, the country will commit suicide.”
Imran Khan’s U-turn on sit-in plan
Imran Khan’s outburst assumes significance after he abruptly called off his sit-in in Islamabad on May 26. While he had earlier vowed to not leave Pakistan’s capital city unless the incumbent government goes for fresh polls, speculation was rife that he changed his plan owing to the lack of public support. As a face-saver, he issued a 6-day ultimatum to the Pakistan government to announce elections failing which he will march to Islamabad with 20 lakh people. Stressing the need to get rid of the “imported government”, he alleged that the PML(N), PPP and other parties have joined hands solely to scuttle corruption cases.