— says no one else but people can mark his future with ‘red line’
LAHORE: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on Wednesday said his party members are being coerced into believing that the former prime minister has no political future as he has been marked with a ‘red line’.
Speaking to members of the PTI’s parliamentary party in Punjab via video link, the party chairman said that only fools could say such things as only the people have the power to draw such lines.
“It is being said that there is no future for PTI or Imran Khan. We have marked a red line on Imran Khan. People are being scared into believing that it is now ‘minus-Imran’ and that he has no future whatsoever,” Khan told party members.
“Only foolish people can say things like these. Neither do they understand politics, nor have they studied history. The Pakistani people are the heirs of this nation, and only they can decide to put a red line on anyone,” he said.
He said that huge sums of money were being offered to ‘buy’ the loyalties of PTI lawmakers.
“Our members of parliament are being pressurised. I met our tigers from Muzaffargarh. They told me how Rs1.25 billion were offered in an attempt to ‘buy the conscience’ of five MPAs,” he said.
He praised PTI Members of the Provincial Assembly (MPAs) for attending the session in large numbers despite facing difficulties in movement owing to the foggy condition in Lahore.
The party chief said that he is fully aware of how PTI MPAs are being pressurised and offered money to part ways with the political party. He also praised Pakistan Muslim League Quaid (PML-Q) lawmakers and Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Pervaiz Elahi for not accepting the pressure.
“These people were also asked to part ways with the PTI and join the side of PML-N (Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz).”
He alleged that PTI lawmakers and its allies are being told that they marked a red line on Imran Khan and they are going to minus Imran Khan.
“Pakistan belongs to the Pakistanis. Only Pakistanis can mark a red line on someone but anyone else. If some people are arrogant enough to think about redlining any personality then they have no sense of politics, neither they read the history nor care for the country.”
He said that not a single political party gains such popularity in Pakistan as compared to the PTI. Khan said that those who are having any doubts should watch the videos of his 65 power shows. He said that millions of nationals came out of their houses to resist the toppling of the PTI government via a conspiracy.
He said that the nationals had also backed PTI in the Punjab by-polls and gave a clear message to the powerful circles. He said that all tactics were used to force the nation to accept the ‘thieves’ as their rulers, but they all failed.
