A retired Pakistan army officer on Monday claimed that the country's top spy agency was planning attacks on former Prime Minister Imran Khan. "Sources claim: Not terrorist outfit, but ISI, as we told u before, is planning these attacks through proxies," Adil Raja said while reacting to a report by The Express Tribune.
On Sunday, Pakistan's Tribune reported that a classified report by the Ministry of Defence had revealed that a banned terrorist outfit was planning to target Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan. The report also said that Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif and Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah may also be targeted.
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However, Raja, who served in the Pakistan Army as a major, suggested that it was the coalition government headed by Shehbaz Sharif, which was planning to neutralise Khan. And to make it look like a legit attack, the retired officer claimed, the ruling government was ready to sacrifice its own leaders Rana Sanaullah and Khawaja Asif.
"In addition, as per the news report, they want to sacrifice Rana (Sanaullah) and Khawaja Asif as well to delay the elections and make it all look legit. Looks like PML-N is okay with sacrificing their spare wheels. Marriam is expected to go to that extent in collaboration with (army chief) Asim Munir," Raja said. Raja's this tweet has been withheld in Pakistan.
Pakistan plunged into a political crisis in April last year, when a coalition of three opposition parties headed by Shehbaz Sharif dethroned Imran Khan from the premiership. Instead of quietly moving away, Khan has upped the ante and has been pressing for an early election. He has secured unprecedented public support against what he calls an "imported government".
Just months after his removal, Khan's party won six of eight national assembly seats - sending the opposition into a panic that he may stage a comeback if elections were held immediately. In the following months, Khan faced disqualification from the National Assembly by the EC. Some political experts believe that the army was hand in glove with the ruling dispensation to try and keep Khan away from power.
The former prime minister has claimed that his life is at risk and he may be targeted. In March this year, Raja claimed that army chief General Asim Munir had approved another assassination plan for Imran Khan. "He might change DGI for optics but DG(C) & his team will continue. Asim Munir is under intense pressure to fulfill the promises he made for his illegal appointment as the Army Chief," the retired officer said citing sources.
In November last year, Khan's convoy was fired upon by a gunman during a rally in Wazirabad. The former prime minister suffered injury after he was shot in the leg. "It was a clear assassination attempt," PTI's Fawad Chaudhry told Reuters. "If the shooter had not been stopped by people there, the entire party leadership would have been wiped out."
Two weeks after this, the Islamabad High Court chief justice said there was another possibility of another assassination attempt on Imran Khan.