- "Democracy at an all-time low," PTI chief says.
- Khan claims he's "ready to go to jail again".
- Terms his arrest "unsettling and shocking."
Imran Khan, the chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), expressed serious concerns about the current situation of democracy in Pakistan and lamented that it is at "an all-time low" in his first in-depth interview since his release on bail.
The former prime minister reiterated his faith only in the judiciary, calling it the "only hope" in the nation for restoring the rights and freedoms of the people after gaining relief from the courts.
"Democracy has never been lower. The judiciary is our one remaining hope, the PTI chairman stated in an interview with Sky News on Sunday.
The cricketer-turned-politician, whose administration was overthrown by a vote of no confidence in the Parliament in April of last year, also expressed concern over the country's alleged record-high levels of fundamental rights violations.
The PTI leader continued by recounting his own traumatic experiences with being detained and how the police had twice searched his home.
He claimed that during one of these searches, the police physically forced open the doors to his home in front of his wife, describing it as a "unprecedented and unsettling situation" for himself.
The former PM of Pakistan stressed the deteriorating state of democracy in the nation by mentioning the 150 cases that had been brought against him, a significant number that had not been brought against any other politicians in the nation.
Khan further charged that the government was afraid of the results because the ruling coalition was worried about suffering a large loss.
The administration "fears being wiped out by the PTI in the polls and is petrified of elections," he claimed.
Khan asserted that the ruling alliance was only willing to hold elections if he was imprisoned or killed, revealing the level of antagonism in the political climate.
Concerns regarding his safety and security were raised when the PTI head said that there had been two attempts on his life.
After being detained on May 9, the former cricketer-turned-politician immediately denounced all forms of violence when his party members questioned him about the violent occurrences that occurred during protests.
When he was asked to describe the incident that led to his detention, he described a period of bewilderment and said: "Some people who looked like commandos suddenly emerged at the time of his arrest. I believed they were there to protect me. Khan claimed that he quickly knew that they were seeking him out.
Concerns regarding his safety and security were raised when the PTI head said that there had been two attempts on his life.
After being detained on May 9, the former cricketer-turned-politician immediately denounced all forms of violence when his party members questioned him about the violent occurrences that occurred during protests.
When he was asked to describe the incident that led to his detention, he described a period of bewilderment and said: "Some people who looked like commandos suddenly emerged at the time of his arrest. I believed they were there to protect me. Khan claimed that he quickly knew that they were seeking him out.
Imran Khan, the chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), expressed serious concerns about the current situation of democracy in Pakistan and lamented that it is at "an all-time low" in his first in-depth interview since his release on bail.
The former prime minister reiterated his faith only in the judiciary, calling it the "only hope" in the nation for restoring the rights and freedoms of the people after gaining relief from the courts.
"Democracy has never been lower. The judiciary is our one remaining hope, the PTI chairman stated in an interview with Sky News on Sunday.
The cricketer-turned-politician, whose administration was overthrown by a vote of no confidence in the Parliament in April of last year, also expressed concern over the country's alleged record-high levels of fundamental rights violations.
The PTI leader continued by recounting his own traumatic experiences with being detained and how the police had twice searched his home.
He claimed that during one of these searches, the police physically forced open the doors to his home in front of his wife, describing it as a "unprecedented and unsettling situation" for himself.
The former PM of Pakistan stressed the deteriorating state of democracy in the nation by mentioning the 150 cases that had been brought against him, a significant number that had not been brought against any other politicians in the nation.
Khan further charged that the government was afraid of the results because the ruling coalition was worried about suffering a large loss.
The administration "fears being wiped out by the PTI in the polls and is petrified of elections," he claimed.
Khan asserted that the ruling alliance was only willing to hold elections if he was imprisoned or killed, revealing the level of antagonism in the political climate.
Concerns regarding his safety and security were raised when the PTI head said that there had been two attempts on his life.
After being detained on May 9, the former cricketer-turned-politician immediately denounced all forms of violence when his party members questioned him about the violent occurrences that occurred during protests.
When he was asked to describe the incident that led to his detention, he described a period of bewilderment and said: "Some people who looked like commandos suddenly emerged at the time of his arrest. I believed they were there to protect me. Khan claimed that he quickly knew that they were seeking him out.
Concerns regarding his safety and security were raised when the PTI head said that there had been two attempts on his life.
After being detained on May 9, the former cricketer-turned-politician immediately denounced all forms of violence when his party members questioned him about the violent occurrences that occurred during protests.
When he was asked to describe the incident that led to his detention, he described a period of bewilderment and said: "Some people who looked like commandos suddenly emerged at the time of his arrest. I believed they were there to protect me. Khan claimed that he quickly knew that they were seeking him out.
