In a thinly veiled criticism aimed at Pakistan's Supreme Court, imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan has alleged that his political rival, Nawaz Sharif, is receiving support from "two umpires" who recently signaled a "no-ball" against Khan's party, sidelining them in the upcoming elections.
Khan, speaking to reporters in Rawalpindi's Adiala Jail, referenced the Supreme Court's decision to strip his party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), of its iconic cricket bat electoral symbol ahead of the February 8 elections. He attributed this setback to the "London Plan" orchestrated to sideline his party.
Imran Khan, 71, accused Nawaz Sharif of always playing matches with umpires of his choice, referring to the powerful military and the Supreme Court as the "two umpires" favoring Sharif's bid for a fourth term as prime minister. The Supreme Court upheld the Election Commission of Pakistan's decision to deny PTI its symbol due to the failure to hold transparent intra-party elections.
Khan claimed that recent events, sidelining PTI and benefiting Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), were part of the alleged London Plan. According to this plan, Sharif is expected to become prime minister with the military's approval, while Khan and his party face suppression.
Accusing the Supreme Court of working under the London Plan, Khan argued that a five-member bench should have heard the case concerning PTI's electoral symbol and organizational polls, as it pertained to Article 17 of the Constitution. He also criticized the legal proceedings against Sharif and his daughter, Maryam Nawaz, claiming they seemed "immune" to legal consequences.
Despite the setback, the PTI's top leader, Barrister Gohar Khan, announced that the party would not boycott the February 8 elections. He assured that PTI would actively participate in the elections, releasing a list of supported candidates with alternative electoral symbols within three days. The denial of the cricket bat symbol, a traditional icon of PTI, is expected to create confusion among party supporters, forcing candidates to contest with separate symbols.
(With Agency Inputs)
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