Home Latest News P.M. Sharif Announces Legal Action against Imran Khan Over Abbottabad Speech

P.M. Sharif Announces Legal Action against Imran Khan Over Abbottabad Speech

Claiming that the PTI chairman is trying to trigger a ‘civil war,’ the premier has stressed that the government will not allow this

by Staff Report

Photo courtesy PID

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday slammed ousted prime minister Imran Khan over a speech that he described as being part of a “conspiracy against Pakistan.”

In a statement, Sharif said Khan’s speech during a rally in Abbottabad had sought to challenge the state of Pakistan, the Constitution, and the country’s institutions. Legal action would be taken against the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman over his speech, he added.

Khan, during his speech, had reiterated allegations of his government being ousted from power due to modern-day “Mir Jaffars and Mir Sadiq.” For a change, he narrated the stories of Mir Jaffar and Mir Sadiq, noting Sadiq had betrayed Tipu Sultan while a minister in his government. Similarly, he said, Jaffar had been the “commander-in-chief” of Sirajud Daula and had betrayed him by joining hands with the British. The references have been widely perceived as veiled references to the incumbent Army leadership, who several leaders of the PTI have called on to “end their neutrality” in recent days. In his Abbottabad speech, Khan had reiterated his claims of only “animals” being neutral, adding that “Allah does not permit humans to be neutral.”

Taking notice of the speech, Sharif said the people concocting a narrative against national institutions were the “real” Mir Jaffars and Mir Sadiqs. He claimed that Khan was not only conspiring in politics, but was also hatching a conspiracy against Pakistan. “Pakistan cannot be sacrificed on the basis of the ego, arrogance, and lies of one person,” he said. “First, Imran Niazi conspired to drown Pakistan’s economy and now he is trying to trigger a civil war,” he said, adding that the government would “crush” any attempts to stoke civil unrest in the country.

“Imran Niazi is the Mir Jafar and Mir Sadiq of today who wanted Pakistan to face the same fate as Libya and Iraq,” he said, and claimed that Khan was “biting the same hand that fed him.” Accusing Khan of being the one who wanted to “enslave” the masses, he said the incumbent government would not allow him to become the “Hitler of Pakistan.”

The prime minister concluded his statement by vowing that while Khan had “lied a lot” in the past, it was now time for him to “face the truth.”

The ousted prime minister is currently leading a campaign for early elections and has repeatedly accused the incumbent government of ousting his regime through a “foreign conspiracy.” Without directly naming anyone, he has also hinted at the military’s role in the alleged conspiracy, with several of his supporters stopping short of outright accusing its leadership of being “traitors.” Khan has also called on his supporters to “punish” his rivals, with observers warning that his speeches are increasingly tantamount to incitement to violence.

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