ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s former prime minister Imran Khan on Wednesday instructed his party’s social media team to confine itself to “constructive criticism” of state institutions, saying his intention was not to harm them by any means.
Khan has remained critical of the country’s top military brass since his ouster from power in a no-confidence vote in April. His chief of staff, Dr. Shahbaz Gill, was arrested earlier this month after he advised military officials not to obey the orders of their top commanders which were “against the sentiments of the masses.”
Pakistan’s media regulator also imposed a ban on the live broadcast of Khan’s speeches after he made comments about senior police officials and a female district magistrate which were viewed as “threatening.”
The former prime minister was booked under the anti-terrorism laws and is currently facing contempt proceedings in the Islamabad High Court for making the same statement.
“We never want to harm our [state] institutions,” he told a public rally in Haripur district located near the federal capital. “If we ever criticize them, we should do it constructively for their benefit. We will live and die in this country and don’t want to damage its institutions.”
Khan applauded his social media team for disseminating his message through its YouTube channel after the ban on the live broadcast of his speeches.
He noted that the only objective of his party was to bring down Pakistan’s current administration and take the country toward free and fair elections.
“We want to see political stability in Pakistan,” he said, adding it was only possible through fresh elections.
Khan told his followers and workers he was trying to mobilize people in Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Azad Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan before giving them a call to march on the federal capital.
“When I will give the call, people will move toward Islamabad from all directions,” he said. “I hope they announce clean and transparent elections before that so people can decide who will rule Pakistan.”
