LAHORE: Former prime minister Imran Khan on Friday dismissed the chances of martial law in Pakistan amid rising political tensions in the country after he was attacked and injured by a gunman during a protest march to Islamabad on Thursday.
Khan, who was once considered close to the country’s powerful security establishment, became critical of top military officials after being driven out of power by his political rivals in a no-confidence vote in April.
Since then, he has frequently criticized the army, which has ruled the country for almost half of its 75-year history, for not intervening to block his ouster which he said was part of a United States-backed “foreign conspiracy.”
Washington, Khan’s political rivals who are now in power and the military deny the allegation.
After being wounded in a gun attack at a protest rally on Thursday, Khan, speaking from a wheelchair in hospital, blamed a senior ISI official, Major General Faisal Naseer, among other civilian officials, for orchestrating the gun attack.
“The days of martial law are over,” he said in an untelevised interaction with foreign media journalists at the Shaukat Khanum Memorial Hospital where he is being treated for gunshot wounds to his legs. “The thought process in Pakistan, it’s gone way ahead of that.”
“Martial law cannot be imposed in Pakistan,” he added.
Asked who he thought could provide him justice since he had been challenging the incumbent government along with one of the most powerful institutions of the country, the army, Khan said he had asked the chief justice to hold an independent inquiry.
He reiterated that he knew who was behind the attack on him.
“I know these people directly because I have information from my source within the institution,” he said without naming any specific entity. “I knew that in the next couple of days they are going to do it and these three people [the prime minister, interior minister and ISI official] are involved in this.”
Asked if he was going to remove the chief minister of Punjab, his political ally in the province, since even a police complaint had not been filed since the firing incident, Khan said it was not the chief minister’s fault.
“Our system has evolved which has an imbalance now,” he said. “See, the army is a country’s necessity. Never entertain this misunderstanding [that one can weaken the military] because we have seen what happens to countries who cannot defend themselves.”
However, he added no one should be above the law.
“When you remove the element of criticism and say they are above the law, then no system can work,” he said. “My movement is for the rule of law.”
The military’s media wing, ISPR, issued a strong statement against the “baseless and irresponsible allegation” by the former prime minister against the ISI official, calling it “absolutely unacceptable and uncalled for.”
“The baseless allegations hurled at the institution/officials today are highly regrettable and strongly condemned,” it said in a statement. “No one will be allowed to defame the institution or its soldiers with impunity.”
The ISPR said it had requested the Pakistan government to investigate the matter and initiate legal action against those responsible for making “false accusations against the institution and its officials without any evidence whatsoever.”
