Islamabad: Pakistan’s jailed former PM Imran Khan has rejected the anticipated constitutional changes, claiming that it was an effort to keep him in prison by controlling the judiciary. The 71-year-old made the remarks during an informal conversation with journalists at the Adiala Jail, where he has been lodged since August last year after being convicted in some of the nearly 200 cases slapped on him since his ouster in April 2022.
The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader claimed that the government was pursuing to set up a new constitutional court out of fear of the Supreme Court. He also claimed that 4,000 Pakistani companies were registered in Dubai in six months and the country is being run by taking loans.
He also criticized amendments to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) laws, claiming they were used to forgive billions in corruption. Announcing a peaceful protest in Lahore on September 21, he called on the public to defend their rights and the judiciary.
Pakistan's Defense Minister Khawaja Asif said Imran's crimes alone are enough to keep him behind bars, as he dismissed the former prime minister's accusation that the government was pushing to amend the constitution to keep him in prison.
| An anti-terrorism court in Pakistan granted bail to 10 lawmakers from Imran Khan’s PTI party, who had been detained after leading a major rally in Islamabad. The bail, set at 30,000 rupees ($100), comes amid a broader crackdown on Khan’s party, which has faced severe repression since Khan’s imprisonment last year |
