ISLAMABAD: Special Assistant to the Prime Minister Attaullah Tarar on Monday claimed that no one came out to protest the arrest of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan.
He said the call of protest given by the PTI chief following his arrest witnessed a complete failure as only few people came out of their homes.
“There were only seven people who protest the arrest, “ the PML-N leader while addressing media in Islamaabad.
Ataullah Tarar says recent audios of PTI leader Samsam Bukhari and Indian analyst Major Gaurav Arya are clear evidence that Imran Niazi is the main planner of May 9 incidents.
Tarar said the PTI chief victimized his political opponents specially PML-N leadership in his tenure. He said if PTI chief considers himself as revolutionary, then he should face the jail conditions.
After the conviction on Saturday, Ataullah Tarar had said it was clearly written in the court’s verdict that the PTI chairman was involved in “corrupt practices” and hence was no longer ‘truthful and honest’ (Sadiq and Ameen).
He further said that Imran subjected his political opponents to worse victimization when he was the country’s prime minister. He accused PTI chairman of minting money from corrupt practices.
Tarar said no one has been exempted from court appearances the way Imran was exempted. “Not only Imran committed corruption, but he had also turned out to be corrupt. There is no doubt that he is now a certified thief.”
No mass protests
Imran Khan’s three-year sentence prompted scattered rallies around the country but there was no sign of any mass uprising.
His lawyers complained they were being denied access to him for consultations so they can mount urgent legal challenges against his conviction.
They also raised concern for his confinement at Attock Jail. “He is a 70-year-old man and a former elected prime minister so legally he should be given a better class (of conditions) inside the jail,” said Gohar Khan, a member of his legal team.
PTI officials said about 50 supporters had been detained overnight as police moved swiftly against protests after Imran Khan was arrested and whisked to jail.
Police were deployed in major centres across the country after Imran Khan’s arrest, and moved quickly to disperse gatherings of PTI supporters.
Officials said about 35 people were detained in eastern Lahore, and 20 in the port city of Karachi. In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, authorities said more than 150 PTI supporters had been picked up.
