In a reference to the interview, Sharif, who is on a three-day visit to Turkey, asked Khan to rein his threats in and called him “unfit” to hold any public office….reports Asian Lite News
Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday hit back at his ousted predecessor Imran Khan for making “naked threats against the country”.
In an interview, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman warned that if the establishment did not take the right decision then the country would split into three and quoted that as his reason for “putting pressure” on the powers that be, The Express Tribune reported.
In a reference to the interview, Sharif, who is on a three-day visit to Turkey, asked Khan to rein his threats in and called him “unfit” to hold any public office.
“Do your politics but don’t dare to cross limits and talk about division of Pakistan,” he warned.
In an interview with Bol TV, Khan had said: “If the establishment doesn’t make the right decisions then I can assure in writing that they and the army will be destroyed because what will become of the country if it goes bankrupt.
“Pakistan is going towards a default. If that happens then which institution will be (worst) hit? The army. After it is hit, what concession will be taken from us? Denuclearisation.
“If the right decisions aren’t made at this time then the country is going towards suicide.”
“Indian think tanks abroad are mulling to separate Balochistan, they have plans, this is why I am putting pressure,” the ousted premier said, without mentioning who he is pressuring.
Khan has warned that the country will descend into a civil war if elections are not announced.
“We will see if they allow us to go towards elections through legal and constitutional means otherwise this country will go towards (a) civil war,” Dawn news quoted the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief as saying in an interview.
The ousted premier further said there was “no question” of returning to the National Assembly as that would “mean accepting the conspiracy” that had removed his government.
Khan said he was waiting for the apex court to decide on his party’s plea to provide protection to the protesters, after which he said he would issue the date for the next march, Dawn new reported.
The PTI Chairman admitted he did not enjoy absolute power as the prime minister, indicating that the actual centres of power in the country lay elsewhere and “everyone knows where that is.”
Khan said his government had been “weak” when it came to power and had to seek coalition partners, adding that if the same situation were to arise again, he would opt for re-elections and seek a majority government or none at all.
“Our hands were tied. We were blackmailed from everywhere. Power wasn’t with us. Everyone knows where the power lies in Pakistan so we had to rely on them,” he said without elaborating any further who he was referring to.