ISLAMABAD, APR 1: Prime Minister Imran Khan has said there is a threat to his life, claiming that those conspiring to topple his government are “scared knowing that even if he is ousted, the public will continue to support him”.
“I am saying this openly that there is a threat to my life,” he said during an interview on Friday.
“They, all those who have colluded [against me], know that I will not sit silently,” the prime minister went on, adding, “What do they think? They will spend Rs20 billion, Rs25 billion and topple my government and I will watch silently?”
“This is why I am saying openly, there is a threat to my life.”
The prime minister’s statement comes hours after Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry said a plot to assassinate Prime Minister Imran Khan had been reported by security agencies.
Earlier this week, PTI leader Faisal Vawda had made similar claims, stating that a conspiracy was being hatched to assassinate the prime minister over his refusal to “sell the country”.
Vawda had made the remarks on ARY News show “Off the Record” in response to a question about a letter PM Imran brandished at the PTI’s March 27 power show in Islamabad, claiming it contained “evidence of a “foreign conspiracy” to topple his government.
He said there was a threat to the prime minister’s life but remained evasive when asked whether the purported conspiracy to assassinate the premier was mentioned in the letter.
When PM Imran Khan confirmed this in his interview, he said his life was under threat because he did not suit those involved in the conspiracy as well as “people like Shehbaz Sharif, who polishes boots” and “are slaves to money”.
The premier added that people like PML-N President Shehbaz had no public support.
Without naming anyone, he continued, “They are afraid of people who have public support. They are talking about assassination because they know that if he (PM Imran) is ousted from the government, he will still be relevant because the public is with him.”
“Then they go for the other option. Look at the history,” PM Imran said, adding that “they will try their best through local collaborators, the three stooges” — a term he uses to refer to Shehbaz, PPP co-chair Asif Ali Zardari and Pakistan Democratic Movement chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman.
The prime minister further claimed that a campaign would also be initiated for his “character assassination”, adding that his wife, Bushra Bibi, and one of her associates named Farah would also be targeted.
‘Elections best option’
During the interview, the prime minister was also asked whether the opposition, the government or another party had proposed early elections and him resigning as an option following the filing of a no-trust motion against him.
To that, the prime minister revealed that the establishment had given him three options: “resignation, no-confidence [vote] and elections”.
“We said elections is the best option, I cannot even think about resigning and as far as the no-confidence vote is concerned, I believe in fighting till the end,” he added.
Pointing out that several members of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf had defected to the opposition ahead of the no-trust vote, the premier explained that even if the opposition’s no-trust move failed, “We cannot run the government with such people (defectors).”
So, he said, “it will be better for Pakistan if we hold elections again.”
Asked whether he was prepared to go for early elections, he replied, “If we win [in] this [no-confidence] vote, it is a very good idea to go for early elections.”
To a question about what would the government’s strategy be in this case, he answered, “We will make a strategy [in the coming days].”
