I will give a big surprise in the coming days, PTI chief says amid exodus of party leaders
\nIslamabad
\nPakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan has said that PTI Vice Chairman Shah Mehmood Qureshi would lead the party in case of his disqualification by a court.
\n\u201cIf I am disqualified, Shah Mehmood Qureshi will run the party,\u201d Khan said Saturday in a meeting with journalists and lawyers at his Zaman Park residence in Lahore.
\nThe statement comes as the PTI chief has been facing a slew of cases ranging from corruption to terrorism since being ousted from power in April last year.
\nOn May 9, he was arrested in a 190 million pounds Al-Qadir Trust case by Rangers personnel in compliance with National Accountability Bureau (NAB) arrest warrants.
\nHe was released around four days after the Supreme Court declared his arrest illegal.
\nKhan\u2019s arrest on May 9 triggered a countrywide violent protests with supporters ransacking and torching defence and public installations across the country.
\nSubsequently, the high-powered National Security Committee (NSC) comprising top civil and military leadership vowed to try rioters under relevant laws including the Army Act.
\nCommenting on the mass departure of leaders from his party over the May 9 vandalism, the PTI chief put up a brave face saying the situation is going to change soon. \u201cI will give a big surprise in the coming days,\u201d he added.
\nKhan said some party leaders were leaving the party under compulsion while some had been exposed.<\/p>\n
Calling the youth a major asset of his party, Khan said the party ticket was their right and added that PTI will win the next general elections despite desertions of the party leaders.<\/p>\n
He also called for holding a referendum to gauge the popularity of his party among the masses.<\/p>\n
Amid rumours about the PTI-backed president\u2019s resignation, Khan said Arif Alvi would continue working according to the Constitution.<\/p>\n
The PTI chief claimed that a conspiracy had been hatched to \u201carrest, disqualify, and even assassinate him\u201d.<\/p>\n
Responding to allegations that he directed his party workers to attack the military installations, the PTI chief rejected the claims saying he never issued instructions for violence and vandalism.<\/p>\n
He also maintained that he had no quarrel with the military saying: \u201cThere is no fight with the army, this army is mine.\u201d<\/p>\n
The former PM hit out at the coalition government for \u201cdestroying\u201d the country\u2019s economy and reiterated that there is no solution to the prevailing crisis except elections.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I will give a big surprise in the coming days, PTI chief says amid exodus of party leaders Islamabad Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan has said that PTI Vice Chairman Shah Mehmood Qureshi would lead the party in case of his disqualification by a court. \u201cIf I am disqualified, Shah Mehmood Qureshi will run […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":333828,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-333799","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-top-news"},"yoast_head":"\n