Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan begins hunger strike over prison abuses

Islamabad, July 5: Former Pakistani Prime Minister and PTI founder Imran Khan has announced that he will go on hunger strike over “prison abuse.”

During a media briefing at Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi, Khan expressed his distrust of Chief Justice of Pakistan Qazi Faez Isa and raised concerns over the chief justice’s interference in the proceedings dealing with PTI-related and his personal cases.

He highlighted the objections of his legal team regarding the frequent presence of the judge and suggested that there was a feeling within the PTI that justice may not be done impartially.

The founder of the Pakistan Movement for Justice (PTI) said he would announce the date of his hunger strike after consulting his lawyers.

He also claimed that the prison warden was working for an army major and colonel in prison and was canceling his meetings when the government requested it.

Khan stressed the need for close ties with Afghanistan to fight the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). He stated that any operation against the TTP would be futile without Afghanistan’s cooperation as the militants would simply flee across the border.

“Without cooperation with Afghanistan, this operation cannot be successful,” Khan reiterated.

Imran Khan stated that Pakistan has a 2,500-kilometer border with Afghanistan and that the party had reservations about conducting ‘Azm-e-Istekham’.

Imran argued that the IMF cannot solve Pakistan’s problems and stressed the need for fair and transparent elections. Khan expressed concern that Pakistan, which had a leading role until 1990, is now being overtaken by other nations.

“The country is controlled exclusively by the elite. What is the point of a president who increases spending on his budget? The electricity and gas bills have broken the people’s necks,” he noted.

Meanwhile, leaders of the Pakistan Movement for Justice (PTI) said on Thursday they were barred from meeting jailed party founder Imran Khan in Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi after waiting for several hours outside the facility to see him.

Several PTI leaders, including Leader of the Opposition in the Senate Shibli Faraz and Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Omar Ayub, protested outside the prison after the prison sessions ended.

“We are all united and there is no disagreement within the party ranks. We are all on the same side,” Senator Shibli told the media outside Adiala Prison.