Islamabad: As the joint opposition movement held its second rally on Oct 19, a visibly upset and angry Prime Minister Imran Khan told a conference of his supporters in Islamabad that he would get “tougher” with the opposition leaders and put them all behind bars.
“Come back and see where I put you,” he said in reference to exiled former prime minister and PML-N leader Nawaz Sharif, at whom he largely directed his ire. “Now I will try my best to bring you back and put you in common prison, not VIP.”
Khan told his supporters that the 11-party Pakistan Democratic Movement’s (PDM) thrust was to create a rift between his government, the judiciary and the army.
“I will not let that happen,” said Khan, who also made fun of PML-N vice president Maryam Nawaz, whom he called a ‘Naani’ (grandmother).
Commenting on the joint rally of the opposition parties, Khan termed it as a “circus”.
Hitting back at Sharif, Khan said that the PML-N supremo came to politics by “polishing General Zia’s shoes” – a reference to Sharif joining politics in 1980s during the martial law of then military dictator General Zia-ul Haq.
Other ministers attacked PDM leaders over the weekend. Railways minister Shaikh Rasheed, seen to be close to the military, told a press conference, “Now it is a free for all. We will not hold back”.
