Pakistan: Imran Khan says military afraid of election; 'fascists' leading nation into 'dark ages'

Imran Khan, the former prime minister of Pakistan, said in an interview that the military of the South Asian nation is frightened of the electionsscheduled later this year.

In crisis-hit Pakistan, general elections are scheduled to be held in less than 60 days after the dissolution of the National Assembly, which will be dissolved on August 13.

During the interview with BBC HARDtalk published on Thursday (August 3), Khan said that "fascists" are leading the country into the "dark ages".

Add WION as a Preferred Source

Khan was ousted in a parliamentary vote of confidence last year, and ever since, the cricket hero turned politician has been embroiled in a string of court cases and several key leaders and members of his party have also been arrestedbesides himself sincethe Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) launched protests and rallies against the government.

According to him, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) is "the only party that was not created by military dictators" and is still intact.

Experts and political analysts have said that Khan was ousted because he fell out with the powerful military, which tends to decide who will rule the 220-million South Asian nation. It was also said that during the period of time when Khan was becoming the mainstay in the Pakistani political area, he had the backing of the army.

During the interview, the 70-year-old said, "How come, despite the establishment openly going against us, trying to dismantle us, how come after we are out of government, we won 30 out of 37 by-elections?"

The former prime minister said, "Normally, it happens when you're out of power for quite a while. But instead, what happened was the party's popularity kept growing" as he noted that the establishment had hoped that his removal from power would weaken the party.

He said, "They have tried everything. They have put 10,000 people in jail, including women and peaceful protesters. And worse, they have tortured people."

Watch:Naela Quadri: Cannot trust or talk to Pakistan's authorities

Khan's legal cases

Towards the end of last month, Pakistan's Supreme Court rejected Khan's plea that his trial on charges of unlawfully selling state gifts be halted on concerns over the merits of the trial and that the judge hearing it was biased. According to legal experts mentioned by news agency Reuters, a possible conviction in the case could end Khan's political career.

The Supreme Court asked Khan to go back to the Islamabad High Court to seek a ruling over his objections.

(With inputs from agencies)

WATCH WION LIVE HERE

You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.