PM Sharif will be responsible if third force steps in or democracy is derailed: Imran
Imran Khan on Sunday warned that Nawaz Sharif will be responsible if a “third force” stepped in as a result of his party’s lockdown of the Pakistani capital next week.
The protest will be held for the resignation of the prime minister over corruption charges arising from the publication of the Panama Papers.
“One person will be responsible if democracy is derailed,” Khan, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chairman said while referring to Sharif as he addressed the media outside his residence.
He did not mention which force or institution would be derailing democracy following the protest planned on November 2 but clarified, “We (Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf) are not doing this to bring in a ‘third force’.”
The cricketer-turned-politician did not name the “third force”, his statement seemed to refer to the powerful military establishment, a key player in Pakistani politics.
Heaccused thegovernmentof defaming the Pakistan Army on the pretext of clamping down on the protest. “In a democratic country, the prime minister is accountable to the people. However, Nawaz only wants to save his wealth,” he was quoted as saying by the media. The Panama Papers leaks revealed evidence of Sharif’s corruption, he claimed.
“Those who call themselves opposition are defending Nawaz to save their own faces,” he added, believed to be a reference to the Pakistan Peoples Party.
Khan said while the apex court may sentence the prime minister, his party was only demanding Sharif’s resignation for a fair investigation.
“Protest is our democratic right and the government will have to face severe consequences if it tries to stop us,” he warned.