LAHORE
\nFormer prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan said he has had \u201cno dialogue\u201d with the military since violent protests broke out in the country following his May 9 arrest.
\n\u201cThe current army chief clearly has some problems with me,\u201d Imran told news agency AFP at his Lahore home late Thursday. \u201cI don\u2019t know what will happen in the future, but right now there\u2019s no dialogue.\u201d
\nHours after repeating accusations that a top intelligence officer was involved in a November attempt on his life, 70-year-old Imran was last week swarmed by paramilitary troops and arrested on graft charges.
\nDays of civil unrest followed (with government buildings set alight, military installations damaged, and at least nine people killed) before the Supreme Court declared the arrest illegal.
\nThe former cricket star said the PDM government led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is \u201cscared\u201d to face his party in general elections due no later than October.
\n\u201cOur party has been facing a crackdown really for one year,\u201d said Imran, seeming tired but resolved, sitting between the twin draped flags of Pakistan and PTI.
\n\u201cI was removed from power through this conspiracy by the ex-army chief.\u201d
\nThe PTI chief said last week\u2019s violence was a \u201cconspiracy\u201d staged to justify repression of his PTI party.
\nMore than 7,000 people were detained as the unrest broke out and at least 19 senior PTI officials were arrested, some in overnight raids on their homes, accused of instigating violence.
\n\u201cThis terrorism and mobbing was all pre-planned and this was done by Khan,\u201d Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah said last week.
\nThe government has pledged to try those accused of violence against army installations in military courts.
\nBut Imran said there were \u201coutside elements that were planted inside\u201d his protest movement, designed to discredit it.
\n\u201cThere were elements who deliberately incited violence, they were not part of a party,\u201d he said. \u201cThis pretext was used to crack down on a party.\u201d
\nSince Imran\u2019s release last Friday, PTI officials have continued to face arrest while some high-level party leaders have resigned under the onslaught of pressure from authorities.
\n\u201cAs we speak, they\u2019re picking up more people and putting them in jail,\u201d Imran said.
\nHe has faced a series of further court appearances, some relating to the unrest, which his party dismisses as more political hurdles designed to keep him from power.
\nThe former prime minister claims the popular momentum of his party will prevail \u2014 setting the stage for more escalation between the government and the military on one side, and his movement on the other.
\n\u201cPolitical parties cannot be destroyed by banning, by disqualifying,\u201d he said. \u201cOnce people are with you, you are not dependent on candidates or names.\u201d
\n\u201cIf anything, what will keep this country together is my party,\u201d he said.
\nThe PTI chairman was ousted via a parliamentary no-confidence vote last April, but the shaky PDM coalition which replaced him has struggled with a critical economic downturn and a worsening security situation, as charismatic Imran\u2019s favour has improved.
\n\u201cTo everyone\u2019s surprise, and I must say to my surprise, the party sort of just started getting more and more popular,\u201d said the former cricketer.
\nHis campaign for a second innings has featured various claims that there are conspiracies to keep him from power.
\nIn November, Imran was shot in the leg as he campaigned for snap polls. His most explosive claim \u2014 repeated just hours before his arrest last week \u2014 was that the attack was planned by Shehbaz Sharif and a top intelligence officer.
\nDespite the rhetoric, Imran says he is open to negotiations.
\n\u201cBelieve me, there is no issue from my side,\u201d he said. \u201cThe fact is, no one wants to fight with your own army.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
LAHORE Former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan said he has had \u201cno dialogue\u201d with the military since violent protests broke out in the country following his May 9 arrest. \u201cThe current army chief clearly has some problems with me,\u201d Imran told news agency AFP at his Lahore home late Thursday. \u201cI […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":330982,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[2833],"class_list":{"0":"post-332263","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-top-news","8":"tag-imran-khan"},"yoast_head":"\n