Govt planning to arrest Imran before polls: Fawad

ISLAMABAD (INP): Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) senior vice president Fawad Chaudhry has asserted that the PML-N-led government was planning to arrest party chairman Imran Khan before holding general elections.
The former information minister made these remarks while talking to journalists outside the Supreme Court (SC) of Pakistan following the proceedings of suo motu noice regarding delay in announcement of date for holding elections in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP).
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) senior vice president Fawad Chaudhry lauded the apex court for taking suo motu notice of delay in the announcement of polls, saying judiciary’s intervention was the way to resolve the matter following the refusal of the governors to announce date. Terming the Supreme Court the ‘saviour of the Constitution’, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader said that their primary job was to protect the Constitution and asked the ruling Pakistan Democratic Movment (PDM) leaders’ to not make the apex court a part of public debate.
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) senior vice president Fawad Chaudhry further said during the hearing of the suo motu case, the PML-N also employed its “old tactics to divide the Supreme Court”. “If elections are delayed beyond 90 days it will shake the foundations of the Constitution,” he said, hoping that the court’s verdict will be based on Constitution.
Speaking of the proceedings, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) senior vice president Fawad Chaudhry noted that the bench considered who has the constitutional responsibility for appointing the date for the holding of a general election to a provincial assembly, upon its dissolution. “All the lawyers have maintained that the elections should be held within 90 days”, he added. “The judge suggested that the matter should be resolved by consensus”, he said, adding that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) also wanted the same. However, he said, the government was planning to arrest Imran Khan before holding elections.
“The government thinks that Nawaz Sharif’s convictions should be overturned,” he said, asking how can there be a consensus on such demand of the government. “The election will be held as per the constitution and not by consensus”, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) senior vice president Fawad Chaudhry added.