Zardari among those hatching ‘plan C to eliminate me’: Imran

  • Says looted money given to a terrorist outfit for execution of plot
  • PPP to serve notice to Imran over leveling ‘allegations’ against Zardari

LAHORE: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan Friday made a stunning revelation about a new plan hatched for his assasination, claiming that now they have made a “Plan C” with Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari in the leading role in “this plot.”

“Now they have made a Plan C, and Asif Zardari is behind this. He has loads of corruption money, which he loots from the Sindh government and spends on winning elections. He has given money to a terrorist outfit and people from powerful agencies are facilitating him. This has been decided on three fronts and they will act soon,” former prime minister and PTI Chairman claimed while addressing a press conference on the country’s economic situation here on Friday.

During a live telecast speech, the former prime minister accused former president Asif Zardari of paying money to a terrorist outfit to carry out the “latest assassination attempt on his life.”

Imran Khan said that there were three more names along with Zardari who will be part of this new plot.

“I am telling you this because if something happens to me the nation should know the people who were behind this, so that the nation never forgives them,” he added.

“Former president and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari is among the four people who are planning to kill me.”

The former prime minister’s latest claims come months after he was wounded in a shooting at a rally in Wazirabad, part of a long march that he was leading to press for general elections. A number of other PTI leaders were also injured and a supporter killed in the November 3 attack.

“Asif Zardari has given Sindh government’s money to a terrorist organization to assassinate me,” the PTI chief alleged, adding that they were using Sindh government’s ‘looted money’ against him.

He further said, “They think that the only way to get me out of the way is actually to eliminate,” believing that efforts were underway to save those ‘four people’.

It is pertinent to mention here that Imran Khan and several other PTI leaders were wounded in an assassination attempt after a man opened fire near the PTI reception camp in Wazirabad during party’s long march.

Speaking about the Wazirabad attack, the former premier said he already knew about the bid to assassinate him. “I informed the public about the attempt and a recorded video, which carries the names of all those who conspired against me,” he said.

“They backtracked from their attempt and went for a Plan B – in which they tried to kill me in the name of religious extremism,” he said, adding that that plan also failed.

Arrest of Fawad Ch

The PTI chairman lashed out at the federal government for treating his party leaders as traitors, saying that the ‘fascist government’ comprised of their worst enemies were treating them as traitors rather than political opponents.

He regretted that PTI leaders Fawad Chaudhary and Azam Swati had been subjected to treatment which is usually reserved for hardened criminals and traitors.

“Such a treatment was being meted out to those who are raising their voice against the incumbent rulers,” he claimed, adding that almost 70 first information reports (FIRs) have been lodged against him as if he was some traitor.

Economic situation

The PTI Chairman lambasted the government over country’s economic situation, where the value of the Pakistani rupee had plummeted while the foreign exchange reserves had also fallen to dangerous levels.

Imran noted that in such a situation, financing will only be offered on terms which could have a direct impact on Pakistan’s national security. “In Sri Lanka and Egypt, when they sought financing in such a situation, they were told to cut their military expenses by half,” he said.

The former premier noted that Pakistan’s national security too could be compromised as the country’s economy falters while raising taxes to astronomical levels in a bid to stabilize the economy.

He regretted that the US dollar gained Rs84 in the first nine months of Shehbaz Sharif led government compared to around Rs30 in his three and a half years. “PTI government left the foreign reserves at $16.4 billion which has now fallen to just $3.6 billion,” he noted.

Imran Khan further claimed that the Consumer Price Index was 12% when he left and could rise to an unprecedented 35%. The Sensitive Price Index was 16%, but now it would reach to up to 50%.

He said services industry performed well after 17 years under the PTI regime and that they managed to create 5 million jobs, but every single industry was being hit hard today due to the misaligned policies of the Shehbaz Sharif government.

‘Zardari planning attack on Khan’

Earlier in the day, Awami Muslim League (AML) chief Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed alleged that former president Asif Ali Zardari has hired a group of terrorists to target PTI Chairman and former premier Imran Khan.

Talking to media outside his Lal Haveli residence, Rasheed said that PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari has engaged a group of terrorists to plan attack on PTI chief Imran Khan. “Asif Ali Zardari is planning to target Imran Khan,” he claimed.

The former interior minister said attempts would also be made to put the PTI chief behind the bars and disqualify him ahead of elections in the country. Taking a dig at the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), he said the “13 parties” were not ready to contest elections in presence of Imran Khan.

 

PPP condemns ‘allegations’ against Zardari

Meanwhile, the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) has decided to serve notice to former premier and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan over levelling ‘false allegations’ against party co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari.

Sindh Information Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon told the media that PPP would serve a notice to Imran Khan for levelling ‘false allegations’ against Asif Ali Zardari.

The PPP leader strongly criticized Imran Khan for “what he called” creating conspiracies on a daily basis, saying that the PTI chairman’s politics was based on ‘lies’.

In a statement issued here on Friday, PPP Central Punjab Acting President Rana Farooq Saeed said that it was an absurd allegation. He said that Imran Niazi was indulging in politics of blackmailing. He said that Niazi was trying to gain importance through dirty allegations against the PPP leadership. He announced moving the court against Imran Khan over fake and baseless charges.

Rana Farooq Saeed said that the entire PTI group was following narrative of lies, allegations and using dirty language against their opponents. He said that a fake ‘Sadiq and Ameen’ was creating fake stories on daily basis.

PPP Central Punjab Information Secretary Shehzad Saeed Cheema, Finance Secretary Ahmad Jawad Farooq Rana and other leaders also condemned the PTI leadership for levelling fake allegations.

 

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