Shehbaz Sharif accuses Imran Khan of 'conspiracy' against Pakistan; warns of legal action

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday accused former Pakistan PM Imran Khan of weaving a "conspiracy" against the country. In a statement released by the Prime Minister's office, Sharif warned Khan of legal actions if he attempted to "instigate" civil war in Pakistan. "The 220 million people of Pakistan, the Constitution, and the national institutions are not slaves to one person's ego. Imran Niazi wants to enslave the masses, but we will not allow him to become the Hitler of Pakistan," the statement said, citing PM Sharif, as quoted by Geo News.

"Pakistan cannot be sacrificed on the basis of the ego, arrogance, and lies of one person. First, Imran Niazi conspired to drown Pakistan's economy and now he is trying to trigger a civil war," the statement by PM Sharif's office said.

"The government will crush Imran Niazi's conspiracy to cause a civil war in the country," it added.

Sharif alleged that Khan was "concocting narratives" against the national institution, further calling him a "liar." He compared the former Pakistani PM with Mir Sadiq, the cabinet minister of Tipu Sultan who betrayed the king during the Siege of Srirangapatna for a British victory. "Khan wants to make Pakistan like Libya and Iraq. He is biting the same hand that was feeding him," Sharif said, as quoted by Geo News.

Notably, Sharif's comments come following Khan's rally in Abbottabad, where he called Sharif "beggar, servant and thief." It is pertinent to mention that Imran Khan was subjected to an unceremonious exit from the National Assembly over accusations of corruption and misrule after he failed to secure a majority vote against the no-confidence motion against him. Khan and his supporters have accused the West, especially the US, of conspiracy to oust him.

Extension of Pak Army chief's tenure 'premature'

Meanwhile, PM Sharif also refuted talks about the extension of Pakistan Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa's tenure as "premature." Speaking to a delegation of the Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors in Lahore, he stressed that "every institution works within its constitutional ambit."

General Bajwa is due to retire in November 2022, as per the Director-General of Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), Gen. Babar Iftikhar. Notably, Gen. Bajwa has been serving as the Chief of Army Staff of Pakistan since November 2016. Bajwa, who was appointed by former Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif, was granted an extension in June 2020, five months before he was supposed to retire.

(Image: AP)