ISLAMABAD: PTI Chairman Imran Khan on Wednesday admitted he did not enjoy absolute power and his hands were tied as prime minister, indicating that the actual centres of power in the country lay elsewhere and “everyone knows where that is.”
In an interview with anchorperson Sami Ibrahim for Bol News programme Tajzia, Imran Khan was asked to recall the events of the night of the no-confidence vote against him, who was issuing orders and who had impeded the cases against the PPP and PML-N leaders.
Imran said his government was “weak” when it assumed power and had to seek support from its coalition partners, adding that if the same situation were to arise again, he would opt for reelections and seek a majority government or none at all.
“My hands were tied. We were blackmailed from everywhere. Power wasn’t with us. Everyone knows where the power lies in Pakistan so we had to rely on them,” he said without elaborating any further who he was referring to.
He claimed that while his government had the responsibility, it did not have all the power and authority.
“No management works if I have responsibility but have no complete power and authority. A system works only when responsibility and authority are in one place.”
Imran said it was imperative for the country to have a “strong army” due to the threat posed by the enemies but said there was also the need to strike a “balance” between having a strong army and a strong government.
The PTI chief said the current political situation was a problem for the country as well as the establishment.
“If the establishment doesn’t make the right decisions then I can assure in writing that [before everyone else] they and the army will be destroyed because what will become of the country if it goes bankrupt,” he said.
“Pakistan is going towards a default. If that happens then which institution will be [worst] hit? The army. After it is hit, what concession will be taken from us? Denuclearisation.”
Imran said that if Pakistan were to lose its nuclear deterrent capability, it would be fragmented into three pieces. “If the right decisions aren’t made at this time then the country is going towards suicide,” he warned.
Prodded further to share his thoughts on the night of the no-confidence vote, Imran declined to go in details and said: “History never forgives anyone. Things come out. If you ask me, I won’t go into details, but when history will be written then it’ll be counted as such a night in which Pakistan and its institutions were damaged a lot.
“Those same institutions weakened Pakistan which give it its foundation and strengthened it.”
Imran said he had “clearly told the neutrals” that the PTI government’s economic performance, despite the Covid-19 pandemic, was nothing short of a “miracle”.
“I told them if you do this and if this conspiracy [to remove my government] is successful then our economy will go down,” he said, adding that he had also sent former finance minister Shaukat Tarin to give a presentation.
He said the country stood on the cusp of a “defining moment”, calling it a “trial for the establishment”. “Everyone knows they’re the powerbrokers, so they’re on trial. This is a trial of the judiciary and the Supreme Court [as well].”
