RAWALPINDI: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan on Wednesday announced that he is seeking a conditional apology for the May 9 riots, saying CCTV footage of the violent protests should be produced beforehand.
In a statement, the jailed former prime minister said he would apologize if PTI activists were found involved in the violent protests that erupted in the country last year following his arrest by the Islamabad High Court (IHC) in a corruption case.
Violent protests saw attacks on public property, including military installations, in many parts of the country, prompting the civilian and military leadership to try the rioters under the Army Act.
The PTI chief, who was lodged in Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail, has repeatedly distanced his party from the protests, claiming that the riots were pre-planned and staged to launch a crackdown on the opposition party.
“I will be sacked and I myself will ask for punishment of PTI members if they are found involved [in the May 9 incidents],” he added.
Apparently referring to his arrest on May 9 last year, the PTI founder lamented that he was “dragged” by the Rangers. “There is no respect for a popular person in Pakistan and in the whole world,” he added.
“Don’t you feel obligated to apologize to me?” the PTI founder asked.
The latest statement comes as the PTI founder has apparently toned down his political rhetoric in recent times and offered talks with the military.
Ahead of the anniversary on Monday of his jailing on dozens of charges ranging from corruption to leaking state secrets, Khan told Reuters it would be “stupid” not to have an “excellent” relationship with the military.
In a written response to questions from Reuters, he also said he had no grudge against the United States, which he also blames for ousting him as prime minister in 2022.
“We are proud of our soldiers and our armed forces,” he said.
Khan said his criticism since his ouster had been aimed at individuals, not the army as an institution.
“Military leadership miscalculations should not be held against the institution as a whole.”
Last week, Khan offered to hold “conditional talks” with the military – if “clean and transparent” elections were held and “false” cases against his supporters were dropped.
On Monday, Inter-Services Public Relations (DG ISPR) Director General Lt Gen Ahmad Sharif Chaudhry dismissed reports of talks with PTI leadership, saying there was no change in Pakistan Army’s stance on the May 9 violent protests.
“The attitude of the army to [9. May] is clear, which was expressed at a press conference on May 7 [2024]. There has been no change in that and there will be no change,” he said while briefing the media on the security situation in the country at the General Headquarters (GHQ) Rawalpindi.
Khan’s imprisonment has added to political instability in the country, which has experienced a prolonged economic crisis and last month received financial aid from the International Monetary Fund.
