Islamabad: Tehreek-e-Insaaf Chief Imran Khan has said there will be
no military coup in Pakistan despite opposition’s press for the exit of
the government due to the escalating crisis in the country.
Speaking
exclusively to Indian NDTV’s Barkha Dutt in Islamabad, opposition
leader and Tehreek-e-Insaaf chief Imran Khan also joined the chorus and
said, "The age of martial law in Pakistan is now permanently over."
The army, he said, realizes that people will not accept this anymore.
"The
threat to Pakistan’s government’s survival lies in two matters that are
before the Supreme Court - one accuses the government of using a secret
memo to ask the US for help against a military takeover; the other
holds Pakistan PM Yousuf Raza Gilani responsible for failing to re-open
cases of corruption against President Asif Ali Zardari. The government’s
legal battles intersect with unprecedented hostility with the army,"
the NDTV said.
Leaders like Imran Khan have said they are firmly
against the Zardari government, but also firmly against allowing a
military coup. Mr Khan, whose rallies have been drawing huge audiences,
has said that his party supports the Supreme Court. He has also accused
Mr Gilani of trying to shield a corrupt President Zardari.
On
Monday evening, an embattled Zardari government won a trust vote in
Parliament, with its pro-democracy resolution being passed by a
majority. Emboldened by this victory, its top leadership is now
asserting that there is no question of the PM resigning or the
government being sacked, the TV said.
When asked about rise of his party Imran said that PTI is now the number one party and has the biggest public support.
"I
think our democracy has evolved. And these entire crises, as you just
mentioned in your opening remarks, what has come out is that the army is
no longer prepared to come out in the open," Khan said.
To a question if the age of the coup is over in a sense. Imran said the age of martial law is over.
Talking
about the memogate, Imran said the memogate scandal is such a shameful
scandal, that if ever the army would have intervened, it would have been
then. "Because, it’s effectively a president asking the United States,
to come and help him get rid of the Army hierarchy so that he could
serve them better. That’s in effect the memogate and normally, the army
would have...that would have been enough to take over. I mean, as it is,
there is public outrage against that and so you would’ve had the public
backing".
But, he said, Pakistan has moved on and he thinks
that the army realizes now that people are not going to accept military
takeovers anymore.
"At the same time, the Supreme Court, I mean
the Supreme Court has taken a stand. Finally, the Supreme Court, for the
first time in Pakistan you’re seeing the court taking on the powerful.
Normally, the Supreme Court has been a part of the executive and taken
orders from the government literally. First time, the Supreme Court is
challenging the most powerful people in this country and challenging the
corruption cases. And so, we have a vibrant media which is a third
pillar and we have a very politically aware public".
Imran
observed that the government is trying to demolish an independent
Supreme Court and that is why is demanding fresh elections.
"What
is...are early elections going to destroy a democracy? Or if the
independent judiciary is destroyed, would that destroy a democracy?
Pakistan, as I said, has moved on. First time we’ve had an independent
Supreme Court. Now, if this government takes on the Supreme Court just
so, then it can protect Asif Zardari’s corruption of billions of
dollars. I’m afraid, that if you stand...if people stand by the
judiciary and it wins, then our democracy wins. If our judiciary loses,
our democracy loses," the PTI chief said.
Responding to a
question that certain voices are suggesting that in some ways, the
judiciary and the military in this country are on the same side in this
debate, Imran replied, " I don’t know if there is any indication of that
but all I know is that the Supreme Court has been very lenient with
this government".
To a question about impression that he is
backed by the Pakistani army, Imran said, "this is what all the
politicians are petrified of. Because they don’t know what’s happened,
how come this tsunami has suddenly built up? But if the army has now
helped us, then surely it must be manipulating the Pew polls which are
American opinion polls where Tehreek-e-Insaaf has been number one for
now six months". Online
