The incarcerated former prime minister of Pakistan, Imran Khan, on Monday rejected speculations that talks are being held with the Pakistan government and said that he will hold negotiations only with the high-powered establishment to break the political impasse in the country.
"Whenever the topic of negotiations arises, they start making noise about May 9, violence. We are always ready for talks. We will speak with those who make the decisions," Khan told reporters inside the Adiala Jail Rawalpindi after hearing of the Toshakhana case against him.
His 'no' to any idea of sitting with the government comes amidst local media reports over the weekend about the likelihood of talks between the government and the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party.
However, Khan's statement reflected that he was sticking to his guns that any parleys to steer the country out of prevailing political instability and end his miseries would be held with the powerful army.
He also opened fire on the government, which he said does this every time the possibility of talks is raised: the ruling party brings in May 9 as a red herring and then seeks an apology. He termed May 9 violence the "insurance policy" of the government and added that in case this is set aside, the government would fall.
He has also called for a judicial commission to investigate the May 9 incident and fix responsibility. Violent protests had erupted last year on May 9 after 71-year-old Khan was taken into custody by paramilitary Rangers from the premises of the Islamabad High Court in connection with an alleged corruption case.
His party workers had allegedly vandalised a dozen military installations, including Jinnah House, also known as the Lahore Corps Commander House, the Mianwali airbase and the ISI building in Faisalabad. A mob also attacked the Army headquarters in Rawalpindi.
Khan further spoke about his decision to participate in the election of the Chancellor of Oxford University and said, "The victory will be a matter of pride for Pakistan.".
He underlined his cricketing achievements and his philanthropy, stating that he was the biggest philanthropist of Pakistan, having built two hospitals and two universities, while the third university was under construction currently.
He then blamed the former prime minister, Nawaz Sharif, for benefiting from additional votes in order to win elections. On a lighter note, he spoke about two upcoming entries in the Guinness Book of World Records.
First, that would be Sharif's "U-turn" on his slogan "give honour to the vote" and substituting it with "give respect to the Boot." The second one would also be by Sharif that according to Khan, he allegedly aligned with all four umpires-four military dictators-and still lost the match.
Sharif, who was ousted from power in 2017 after his conviction by the Supreme Court, had chanted the slogan 'give respect to vote'.
Khan has accused Sharif of reaching a deal with the establishment to return from exile in London to win power for his brother Shehbaz Sharif.
Khan was arrested on August 5 last year following his conviction in the first Toshakhana corruption reference filed by the Election Commission of Pakistan. Since then, he has been in jail in different cases.
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