ISLAMABAD: Former prime minister Imran Khan issued a brief message from prison on Saturday, saying his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party was “at the peak of its popularity” despite all attempts to rig the upcoming national polls in February.
Khan has been facing a slew of cases since his ouster from power by a parliamentary no-confidence vote in April last year and has been in jail since August 5 after being convicted of illegally selling state gifts.
While his three-year sentence in the case was suspended by the country’s higher judiciary, the former prime minister continues to remain behind bars and is facing a trial for allegedly divulging state secrets for political purposes.
“In the last 10 months, all unconstitutional and illegal tactics have been employed for pre-poll rigging in Pakistan, which are summarized in this video,” said his message posted on social media platform X.
“But Allah is Al-Haq [The Truth],” he continued. “PTI stands at the peak of its popularity today, and InshAllah [God willing], on the day of election, every voter shall come out to exercise their right to vote and thwart all attempts of rigging.”
The five-minute video accompanying the message recapped political developments in the last few months, including the arrival of the caretaker setup, a crackdown against PTI and Khan’s own video clip about his legal struggle amid mounting cases against him.
The former prime minister’s political party has repeatedly said there is an attempt to eliminate its top leader from the political landscape of the country, with some of its leading figures announcing to quit the party following arrests in recent months.
