Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif is irrelevant, army chief calling the shots: Imran Khan

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman and former prime minister Imran Khan, in an interview with Independent Urdu Service accessed exclusively by CNN-News18, said that Pakistan Prime Minister is not the one handling the crisis in the country. “Pakistan PM is irrelevant. Pakistan Democratic Movement and PM (Shehbaz Sharif) are just puppets. It is the Army Chief (Asim Munir) who is calling the shots,” he said. Khan further said that he is ready for talks. “I am a politician. I want talks with anyone, including the army chief and establishment, but it takes two to clap and I am afraid that other side doesn’t want to talk… The prime minister has nothing to do with the talks.” Commenting on his clash with the army chief, Khan said, “Not me. It’s the army chief who made it personal.” He further added that the army chief’s statements on social media are “frightening”. “They are saying that whatever happens, they will end my party PTI anyway. This thing has come up in the past few days,” he said. LEGAL BATTLE Khan on Tuesday pressed his legal battle before a court in the capital, Islamabad, which granted him protection from arrest until early next month in several cases where he faces terrorism charges for inciting violence. The development comes as the authorities have been cracking down on the supporters of Khan, now Pakistan’s top opposition leader. Thousands staged violence protests, and attacked public property and military installations following Khan’s arrest earlier this month. The violence subsided only days later, after Khan was released on the orders of the country’s Supreme Court. Ten people were killed in clashes with the police. OUSTED IN APRIL LAST YEAR Khan, who was ousted in a no-confidence vote in Parliament in April last year, has campaigned against the government of his successor, PM Sharif, claiming his ouster was illegal and demanding early elections. Since then, the 70-year-old former cricket star turned Islamist politician has become embroiled in more than 100 legal cases against him. He faces charges of graft purportedly committed while he was in office and has been charged with terrorism in eight cases over the violent protests by his supporters and his PTI opposition party. After the Islamabad court on Tuesday granted Khan protection from arrest on terrorism charges until June 8, he and his wife, Bushra Bibi, travelled to the nearby city of Rawalpindi, to appear before the National Accountability Bureau to answer questions in a separate graft case. The couple is accused of accepting the gift of property to build a private university in exchange for providing benefits to a real estate tycoon. Khan denies the charge, saying he and his wife were not involved in any wrongdoing. Read all the Latest News, Trending News,  Cricket News, Bollywood News, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.