An intercepted conversation about Imran Khan's party hatching a plot to defame law enforcement authorities has come up after Pakistan’s Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah claimed that the intelligence agencies have the evidence.
Sanaullah while addressing a press conference on Saturday night, reportedly said that the objective of the move was to falsely implicate the law-enforcement agencies in the crime and subsequently raise the issue at the international level.
According to reports from a Pakistani-based newspaper published that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan has urged the country's top judiciary to take action against the reports of 'rape' of the female workers of his party in suo motu.
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Sanaullah claimed, “The country’s agencies intercepted a conversation revealing disturbing plots and planned actions, including a raid on the PTI leader’s house and a staged rape."
According to reports, Sanaullah, however, did not provide proof to substantiate his claims. Khan, the chairman of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, hit back at Sanaullah on Sunday, saying the minister was “so obviously” trying to cover up “horror stories” about to break in the media.
“If there were any doubts about women being mistreated in jails, this press conference from this certified criminal should remove all such doubts,” Khan tweeted.
“Women have never been so mistreated and harassed by the state as they have been by this fascist govt when they were exercising their right to protest peacefully,” he added.
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According to reports, Imran Khan told his supporters, "After [Rana Sanaullah's] press conference, I have no doubt. The PTI women workers, the way they were detained and thrown in jail, and the way they were being treated...we also heard [reports] of rape."
He also added that Sanaullah's statement meant either of the two things, explaining, "Either they are afraid that these women, when they are released, will tell the stories of what happened to them, and [the government is] preparing for this scenario. Or that they are scared they have done something they cannot manage, so they want to preemptively create a narrative that this was all a big conspiracy and PTI did this themselves".
The situation in Pakistan post Imran Khan's arrest
Over 60 leaders from Khan’s party have parted ways after the May 9 incidents.
The prominent leaders who have quit the party include Secretary General Asad Umar, senior leader Fawad Chaudhry and former minister Shireen Mazari.
According to reports, on Saturday, Imran Ismail, the former Sindh governor Khan's close aide parted ways with PTI, hours after an anti-terrorism court ordered his release from prison.
On May 9, violent protests erupted after paramilitary Rangers arrested Khan,70, from the Islamabad High Court premises.
His party workers vandalised a dozen military installations, including the Lahore Corps Commander's House, the Mianwali airbase and the ISI building in Faisalabad in response to Khan's arrest.
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The mob also stormed the Army headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi for the first time.
Thousands of Khan’s supporters were arrested following the violence that the powerful Army described as a “dark day” in the history of the country.
Khan, the cricketer-turned-politician, was ousted from power in April last year after losing a no-confidence vote in his leadership, which he alleged was part of a US-led conspiracy targeting him because of his independent foreign policy decisions on Russia, China, and Afghanistan.
(With PTI inputs)
