Now they can only kill me, but I am not afraid to die.
Today, Pakistan and its people are standing in front of each other. About two years ago, an engineered vote of no confidence was brought against my government and a government was formed with the military establishment.
Since then, the military establishment under the direct guidance of Army Chief General Asim Munir tried every tactic to eliminate Meri Party from Pakistan's political landscape.
Our election marks, brutality, violence and denial have been widely documented, but nothing has worked for the military and its powerless civilian leadership acting as its puppets.
Pakistan's general elections on 8 February 2024 revealed the complete failure of their design.
In a country where the majority of voters are guided by party symbols, there is no single electoral symbol, despite people standing as "independents", candidates supported by my party, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). came out for and voted overwhelmingly with various electoral symbols. This democratic revenge by the people of Pakistan against the agenda of the military establishment was not only a national dishonor by the people but also a complete rejection of the official narrative of 9 May 2023, when false allegations were made against PTI supporters. were gone Crackdown, attack on military installations. Unfortunately, instead of accepting the popular mandate, the military establishment became enraged and the election results were manipulated to bring the losers to power. The same vote tampering was seen in the recent by-elections as well. As a result, today Pakistan stands at a dangerous crossroads. The people have rejected the state election conspiracies and the repression, imprisonment and torture of not only the PTI leadership but also its workers. The military leadership has been openly criticized on a level never seen before in our history. Government is a laughing stock. More cruelty and violence The state's response fueled more brutality and violence not only against party workers but also against journalists and human rights defenders. Restrictions have been imposed on social media with a complete ban on the X platform. The systematic attempt to destroy the independent functioning of the judiciary at all levels is perhaps the worst development. Judges have been subjected to all kinds of pressure, including blackmail and harassment of family members. As a result, we are tried on trumped-up charges with no proper defense allowed and no concern for the law and constitution of the land. The Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) and the Islamabad High Court have been found unable to provide impartial justice. But members of the higher judiciary have stood up against the attempt to destroy the independence of the judiciary. Six brave judges of the Islamabad High Court have written a letter to the Chief Justice highlighting the incidents of harassment and blackmail by the intelligence agencies including their families. Specific examples are cited and details given. This is unprecedented in our history - although informally, many people knew what was going on with the senior judiciary but to have such a letter from these judges shows the level of frustration, anger and frustration... The sad state of judicial affairs is reflected in the reluctance shown by the Chief Justice, who finally felt compelled to act but to hear a full bench of the Supreme Court and summon nominees of six judges. Instead, they tried to implement judicial matters. Six judges are effectively on the docket. With an economy in crisis, rising prices and a politically disaffected populace stealing its electoral mandate and suffering economic hardship, the state stands isolated. Unwilling to minimize the grave mistakes that have brought Pakistan to this critical juncture and unable to move beyond its mantra of repression and violence against critics, the state is continuing on the same path it was on in 1971. I was in Chile, when it lost East Pakistan, then Bangladesh. At the same time, it is witnessing an increase in terrorism and growing alienation in Balochistan where cases of enforced disappearances are on the rise. On Pakistan's borders, India has already admitted to killings inside Pakistan and the international border with Afghanistan remains unstable. The military establishment's expectation of unquestioning support from the US in return for providing access to US airspace and related facilities for military purposes has been punctured following the publication of the US State Department's latest reports on human rights practices. I have been featured. Many Human Rights Violations in Pakistan Once again, depending on the support of the International Monetary Fund when there is a conflict with the people will not stabilize Pakistan. The only way out of this crisis is to restore the people's mandate and release all political prisoners who are being tried in military courts. Constitutional functioning of state institutions should be restored. The military establishment tried everything possible against me. Now all they have to do is kill me. I have openly said that if anything happens to me or my wife, General Asim Munir will be responsible for it. But I am not afraid because my faith is strong. I would prefer death to slavery. Imran Ahmed Khan Niazi