ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's former prime minister Imran Khan said on Wednesday his administration was "blackmailed" by its coalition partners, making it difficult for his government to legislate and implement necessary reforms.
Khan made the statement during a live audio conversation on Twitter with his party workers and followers from across Pakistan and different parts of the world.
At one point, the number of his listeners reached about 165,000.
Khan also became the first Pakistani national leader who went live on the social media platform using Twitter Spaces.
"The last three and a half years were tough," he told the listeners. "It was a coalition government with a thin majority. We faced blackmail all the time. Legislation was difficult since it required us to go to the Senate where we did not have the majority. So, we had to make compromises to run the government."
Khan, who is also the chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, lost his parliamentary majority and was ousted from power in a no-confidence vote after more than a dozen lawmakers belonging to his political factions defected.
One of his government's key coalition partners also sided with an opposition alliance that tabled the no-trust resolution against him.
Asked about the future course of action, he said that his party would like to return to power with a clear majority to undertake its reform project which previously became difficult for it.
He was also critical of the parliamentary system of government, saying its successful functioning required high moral standards within a society since its dynamics otherwise impeded positive political change.
He acknowledged his party's ticket distribution was not right the last time, adding it would be more careful in the future.
Discussing the possible return of Pakistan's ex-PM Nawaz Sharif to the country, Khan said his party would not accept if Sharif got any legal concessions.
Sharif was convicted by an accountability court in Pakistan on corruption charges and was given a substantial jail term before he managed to secure a medical bail and flew out of the country.
With his younger brother Shehbaz Sharif the country's new prime minister now, some of his party leaders say he might return to Pakistan after the upcoming Eid holidays.
"It [any concessions to Sharif] will totally discredit Pakistan's system of justice," Khan said, adding: "It will also prove quite dangerous for the country."
The PTI chairman said Pakistan would have no future if the powerful were not brought under the law.
"I will bring out the whole nation and will not accept it," he continued.
In response to a question about state institutions, he told his listeners that the army was "more important than Imran Khan," adding that everyone should try to strengthen it further.
