‘When you have a huge crisis…’: Imran Khan on Pakistan’s downturn | World News

Former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan said that the country’s military establishment wanted to stop his party from winning the next election. Citing the Shehbaz Sharif government and military’s push to arrest his supporters, Imran Khan told Bloomberg that there is a concerted effort to “crush” his party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) before mid-October elections.

“It’s all dependent on the establishment feeling that PTI will no longer be able to win the elections. Once they are sure of that, then they’ll announce elections,” Imran Khan said.

What Imran Khan said on the protests?

The former prime minister also denied that his supporters and the PTI party were behind the attacks, accusing the government of using the incident as a pretext to carry out an “unprecedented crackdown.”

What Imran Khan said on upcoming elections?

It would be hard for any party to win a strong mandate, leading to a fractured government to grapple amid a dire financial situation, Imran Khan said.

“It’s not what Pakistan needs. When you have a huge crisis, you look back in history, only very strong governments have dealt with crises,” he said.

What Imran Khan said on IMF deal?

I have no doubt that a new IMF program is needed, Imran Khan said, adding that if he comes back to power, he wants to lure investment from the Pakistani diaspora and will rectify loss-making companies and help small exporters to grow as Pakistan endures the worst economic crisis in its history. Consumer prices rose to an all-time high this week and the prospect of a default has risen.

What Imran Khan said on public support for him?

Imran Khan said that public support for him and his party was growing even as many key politicians were exiting as popularity surveys showed that he was ahead despite losing power in a confidence vote.

“The government is just a puppet government. A government which is now latching onto the military establishment because they know that if there are elections, they’ll be wiped out,” Imran Khan said.