Former prime minister and PTI founder Imran Khan on Saturday said that he was ready for the talks provided his three conditions were accepted; firstly all cases against him were withdrawn, secondly all PTI leaders and workers presently in jails were released, and last but not least the party was given back the mandate it had been given by the people in the February 8 general elections, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.
In an informal chat with reporters in the courtroom set up at Adiala Jail, Rawalpindi, the former prime minister, while describing the Supreme Court’s yesterday’s verdict in the Sunni Ittehad Council’s reserved seats case as a positive development, said that he welcomed it.
He said that the decision had given PTI workers and supporters a ray of hope. “I thank the Almighty Allah that contrary to Justice Muneer, who had capitulated, this time the apex court judges stood by the rule of law.”
“Where there is a rule of law, those who are powerful are subordinate to the laws of the land,” he commented.
Imran further said the verdict the country’s establishment and Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Justice Qazi Faez Isa were looking for in the reserved seats’ case was in everybody’s knowledge.
He complained that the PTI was not allowed to run the election campaign right from the word ‘go’. “Our candidates were not even allowed to file their nomination papers. The chief justice even deprived the PTI of its election symbol,” PTI founder said, adding, “Now our opponents fear that in the event of votes recount they might lose several seats they had won in the elections.”
“They are particularly worried about the three constituencies of Islamabad.”
Demanding the trial of the chief election commissioner (CEC) under Article 6 of the constitution, the former prime minister said if he had an iota of shame left in him, he should resign and go home.
The question, he went on to say, he wanted to put to Justice Isa was whether he deemed it morally fit to sit on the benches hearing his cases. “A five-member bench, headed by Justice Gulzar, had ruled that the present chief justice should recuse from the cases involving me.”
Imran said the chief justice’s wife’s remarks against him were all part of the record. “The question is why the PTI’s petitions on February 8 general elections and human rights violations are not being listened to,” he said, adding, “I had even written a letter to the CJP, requesting him to hear these cases.”
PTI founder said even the US Congress had said that the elections held were ‘fraud’.
The former prime minister said a small elite called shots in the country. “And the SC can make these people subordinate to the law.
He prophesied that the next federal budget would be tougher than the one presented this year. “People are being overburdened with taxes,” he lamented.
Calling Nawaz Sharif a ‘declared offender’ and an absconder, the PTI founder wondered how he was given a ‘clean chit’ in all corruption cases filed against him.
Responding to a question about whether he would talk to any political party for the formation of a government now when reserved seats had increased the party’s tally in the parliament as well as in the provincial assemblies, Imran said his party would not be part of any political maneuvering.