ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday warned ex-premier Imran Khan not to instigate a civil war in the country after the latter announced to hold of his anti-government long march to Islamabad on May 25 while demanding early elections.

Khan, who became Pakistan’s prime minister after the 2018 general elections, was driven out of power in a no-confidence vote last month after he lost his parliamentary majority. He has since refused to recognize the new government and addressed huge public rallies in various Pakistani cities wherein he has sought fresh polls in the country.

“He [Imran Khan] is mistaken if he thinks he can initiate a civil war in the country,” Sharif told a group of reporters in Lahore. “The people of Pakistan will hold him by his collar ... They will not let it happen.”

Earlier in the day, Khan told his party workers and followers to meet him in the federal capital on May 25, adding he was willing to sacrifice his life but was not prepared to accept the government.

Pakistan’s information minister Marriyum Aurangzeb maintained the former prime minister’s announcement was meant to “sabotage” the country’s negotiations with the International Monetary Fund to revive a $6 billion loan program, reported the state-owned APP news agency.

She added it was the government’s prerogative to decide along with its coalition partners when it wanted to hold the next elections in the country.

Aurangzeb also blamed Khan’s administration for ruining the national economy while burying the country in a huge debt.