Lahore (Web Desk): Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman and former premier Imran Khan on Tuesday responded to the Inter-Services Public Relation's (ISPR) statement as he once again held a serving army official responsible for the assassination attempts on his life.
In a video massage ahead of departing for Islamabad to appear before the Islamabad High Court (IHC) in a mutiny case and another pertaining to charges of attempted murder.
"Before I leave, I want to say two things. First, the ISPR issued a statement saying that the institution has been disrespected and the army has been disrespected by naming an officer that has tried to have me killed twice," the PTI chief said.
"ISPR sahib, listen to me carefully. Respect is not only reserved for one institution, respect should be for every citizen."
While repeating his allegations against a serving senior military officer, the PTI chief said the intelligence officer tried to kill him twice and he would prove it if there was ever an investigation.
“He had a whole gang with him and the people know who these officials are because this is the era of social media,” he added.
Imran claimed that despite being a former prime minister, he could not file a first information report (FIR) because “that man” was nominated as an accused.
“Why is it that when an army officer is named, it is an insult to the army,”
"It's my army, it is our Pakistan," he said.
Commenting on the likelihood of going to jail, the PTI chief said: “If someone has a warrant, they should directly bring it to me. Bring the warrant, my lawyer will be there. I’m ready to go to the jail myself.”
The former premier, while demanding that he be approached through a warrant, urged against staging any drama.
“There is no case against me. I’m mentally prepared to be arrested. If I have to go to jail, I’m ready,” Khan said.
The PTI chief said that the nation knows him for the last 50 years. “I am currently the head of the country's largest party.”
The PTI chief's response comes a day after the ISPR said that “irresponsible and baseless allegations” by Imran against the serving military officer without evidence were “extremely unfortunate, deplorable and unacceptable”.
During a rally on May 6, Imran Khan once again named a senior intelligence official for orchestrating plans to murder him. “I am on the roads despite verifiable threats to my life. I have already escaped an assassination attempt once. On the second occasion, I was able to sniff out murder planning,” he had said.
This was not the first time the former premier has made these claims. After an assassination attempt last year, Imran had held Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah and the senior intelligence official as being responsible for the bid to assassinate him and demanded their resignations.