When dozens of his supporters were detained and hurt during a police crackdown on an election rally in Lahore, former prime minister Imran Khan accused the Pakistani government of trying to prevent him from running in the polls.
As police fired tear gas and water cannon on Khan’s supporters for disobeying a government prohibition on public gatherings, Khan canceled a rally of his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in the eastern metropolis, the capital of the Punjab province.
The administration and those who support it are terrified of elections because, as of Tuesday, my party has won 30 of the 37 byelections that have taken place in the past eight months.
“They want to either arrest me or disqualify me because they are afraid [of the fact that my party is one of the most popular in Pakistan’s history],” he stated from his home in Lahore.
To begin its campaigning for the April 30 provincial election, the PTI was supposed to conduct a rally. Nevertheless, only a few hours before it was scheduled to begin, authorities canceled the event “to avoid any unforeseen incident,” according to local media.
“Police had authorized the rally’s route and granted permission, but permission was abruptly withdrawn this morning. Those attending a peaceful march were attacked with tear gas and water cannon by a large police detachment that had been mobilized, according to the former prime minister.
Ali Bilal, a supporter of the party, was allegedly slain by police while Khan was holding him. The authorities have not officially confirmed the fatality, and Al Jazeera was unable to verify the accuracy of the claim.
The police raid on supporters of the opposition was described as “unnecessary and harsh” by Imtiaz Gul, executive director of the Center for Research and Security studies.
“There was a significant police presence to try and keep PTI employees away from the gathering.
Speaking from Islamabad, Gul said, “There are all the signs that the federal government is attempting to postpone the elections in the provinces of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Elections in Punjab and the neighboring Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, which are scheduled for April 30, were declared following the dissolution of their respective provincial assemblies, which together represent 70% of the nation’s population.
The PTI party, which Khan leads, controlled the two assemblies. In an effort to compel an earlier round of Pakistan’s scheduled national elections in October, Khan had called for their dissolution.
Khan’s requests have been rejected by Shehbaz Sharif’s administration, which claims that the poll will proceed as scheduled later this year.
Khan, 70, was the only prime minister of Pakistan to be ousted from office by a no-confidence vote in parliament in April of last year. Since relinquishing his position of authority, he has been charged with numerous offenses, including “terrorism,” attempted murder, and money laundering.
Khan characterized all the cases as “frivolous” claiming that the accusations are “simply one another tactic to have me out of the way to contest the elections”.
A simple query was asked, “How many court appearances do you make to handle 76 cases?” Khan emphasized that he had to quit appearing in court because of injuries sustained during an assassination attempt.
“I had three bullets in my legs for four months, so I couldn’t walk,” he claimed.
Khan has been residing in Lahore ever since a shooter injured him in the leg at a protest gathering in November. He has only once since since visited Islamabad, and that was just last week for court appearances in other cases against him.
Khan claimed that despite numerous requests, security has never been provided for him while appearing in court.
“My life is in danger because the people who tried to kill me are in positions of authority… How can I run a campaign in a safe and secure environment? How do I enter a courtroom? I appeared in court three times, but regrettably there was no protection there, he said.
The murder attempt on Khan was not orchestrated by Pakistani Prime Minister Sharif, who has rejected this.
In a case involving the alleged illegal purchase and selling of items handed to Khan by foreign dignitaries while in office, the Islamabad High Court on Tuesday postponed an arrest order against him.
Khan won’t be taken into custody until March 13, according to a court ruling from a single judge’s bench. In the matter involving the foreign presents, the court further ordered the former prime minister to appear before the relevant court on March 13.
On Sunday, police attempted to apprehend Khan at his Lahore home, but the former cricketer and politician eluded them.
