Pakistan’s former Prime Minister Imran Khan has told The National he is still “fighting for his country” – but warned he is struggling to deal with almost 180 charges against him, which he says are fabricated.
Mr Khan said the charges were part of a conspiracy to disqualify him and undermine his party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, ahead of elections in October.
The embattled former cricket star said he was concerned with so many legal battles in the build-up to the vote.
He also said he was considering how much longer he could continue to defend himself after being vocal about reform in the country.
“We have seen the worst crackdown in our history,” Mr Khan, 70, said in an interview.
We are sitting at crossroads right now in Pakistan. Either we will move towards military dictatorship or we will head towards a free and fair election
“All my senior leadership is in jail; they can only come out if they renounce being part of my party. And about 10,000 of my workers are in jail all over the country.”
He praised the work of those that had defended him.
He said: “They might get me on some case where I just can't defend myself right now. My lawyers, they're all volunteers. So, they're doing a great job. But for how long?”
Pakistan's military rule
The army holds considerable power in Pakistan, having established itself as the dominant force in the country's politics since its inception.
Analysts say civilian politicians are little more than figureheads and real power, including control over the country’s courts and key parts of the economy, lies with the generals.
Mr Khan, who seemingly fell out of favour with the army, has been vocal about reforming governance in the country.
He has previously said it was “completely the establishment” that was after his party, and that by “establishment”, he means the military.
“Unfortunately, when I was in power for three and a half years, I just could not bring the powerful under the law. And they were the ones who then schemed with the army chief and conspired to remove my government,” he told The National.
Mr Khan was arrested while in court in Islamabad in May, where he was facing one of the dozens of cases that have been made against him since he was ousted from power.
“They beat up everyone, they broke the place up, they beat up the lawyers. I also got hit,” says Mr Khan.
Security services, including Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah, accuse Mr Khan of planning mass protests in the capital, including marches on parliament, and inciting violence.
In November, Mr Khan said supporters would march on Islamabad but called off the protest at the last minute, warning of “chaos”.
Mr Khan repeatedly rallied his supporters by demanding early elections, a stance which led the government to escalate charges against him, including an accusation from Mr Sanaullah that he was guilty of “terrorism”.
The government has since passed the Pakistan Army Act, allowing thousands of people to be tried in military courts in connection with protests.
UN human rights chief Volker Türk condemned the move as a “disturbing” breach of human rights.
Dramatic arrest
The stand-off involving Mr Khan culminated in him being led into a vehicle among a group of heavily armed officers, in front of journalists.
His arrest led to widespread protests across Pakistan before he was eventually released on bail.
The cases against him include charges of corruption, terrorism, contempt of court, rioting and even blasphemy.
When asked what his plans would be if he were prevented from running in the elections in October, Mr Khan said his party would not give up fighting, but he was not hopeful about their prospects.
“Right now, they have not been successful and tried to disqualify me because none of the cases, when they go to court, they are such bogus cases that they get thrown out,” he said.
“But they now have several military courts. So, the whole thing is that they would actually then try to charge me with treason or something.
“That's what they hope to disqualify me, which is what it looks like right now. Although, you never know, there's so many cases and I'm finding it very difficult, you know, going from one to the other to get bail. So, they might get me on some case where I just can't defend myself.”
“We are suffering because of the policies of the previous army chief, Gen Bajwa. I mean, the running of the economy was thrown off balance by him, removing our government, and since then, the economy has crashed, we now have the worst economic indicators in our history.”
Pakistan's national crisis
Pakistan is currently in the grip of rampant inflation – at nearly 30 per cent, massive national debt and is recovering from catastrophic flooding, which caused an estimated $40 billion in damage.
A recent deal with the International Monetary Fund to alleviate its financial woes is not expected to be more than a stopgap measure, without far-reaching reforms.
“Unless we fix our governance system through rule of law, I don't think we are going to be able to get out of this mess, especially the economic mess we have created, because you cannot get investment in the country.”
“If you don't have investment, you don't have wealth creation. And if you don't have wealth creation, how do you pay your debts?”
The country is battling a “hydra-headed” insurgency along the border with Afghanistan, including the Pakistani Taliban and Baloch separatists.
“We are sitting at crossroads right now in Pakistan. I mean, either we will move towards military dictatorship – we already have unannounced, undeclared martial law – or we will head towards a free and fair election,” he says.
Babumoshai Bandookbaaz
Director: Kushan Nandy
Starring: Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Bidita Bag, Jatin Goswami
Three stars
The Pope's itinerary
Sunday, February 3, 2019 - Rome to Abu Dhabi
1pm: departure by plane from Rome / Fiumicino to Abu Dhabi
10pm: arrival at Abu Dhabi Presidential Airport
Monday, February 4
12pm: welcome ceremony at the main entrance of the Presidential Palace
12.20pm: visit Abu Dhabi Crown Prince at Presidential Palace
5pm: private meeting with Muslim Council of Elders at Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque
6.10pm: Inter-religious in the Founder's Memorial
Tuesday, February 5 - Abu Dhabi to Rome
9.15am: private visit to undisclosed cathedral
10.30am: public mass at Zayed Sports City – with a homily by Pope Francis
12.40pm: farewell at Abu Dhabi Presidential Airport
1pm: departure by plane to Rome
5pm: arrival at the Rome / Ciampino International Airport
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
Muslim Council of Elders condemns terrorism on religious sites
The Muslim Council of Elders has strongly condemned the criminal attacks on religious sites in Britain.
It firmly rejected “acts of terrorism, which constitute a flagrant violation of the sanctity of houses of worship”.
“Attacking places of worship is a form of terrorism and extremism that threatens peace and stability within societies,” it said.
The council also warned against the rise of hate speech, racism, extremism and Islamophobia. It urged the international community to join efforts to promote tolerance and peaceful coexistence.
Company: Instabug
Founded: 2013
Based: Egypt, Cairo
Sector: IT
Employees: 100
Stage: Series A
Investors: Flat6Labs, Accel, Y Combinator and angel investors
Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
Red Sparrow
Dir: Francis Lawrence
Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Joel Egerton, Charlotte Rampling, Jeremy Irons
Three stars
History's medical milestones
1799 - First small pox vaccine administered
1846 - First public demonstration of anaesthesia in surgery
1861 - Louis Pasteur published his germ theory which proved that bacteria caused diseases
1895 - Discovery of x-rays
1923 - Heart valve surgery performed successfully for first time
1928 - Alexander Fleming discovers penicillin
1953 - Structure of DNA discovered
1952 - First organ transplant - a kidney - takes place
1954 - Clinical trials of birth control pill
1979 - MRI, or magnetic resonance imaging, scanned used to diagnose illness and injury.
1998 - The first adult live-donor liver transplant is carried out
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The five pillars of Islam
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Russia's Muslim Heartlands
Dominic Rubin, Oxford
Company%20profile
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What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
Smoother border management with use of e-gates
Cutting red tape on import and export of food
GULF MEN'S LEAGUE
Pool A Dubai Hurricanes, Bahrain, Dubai Exiles, Dubai Tigers 2
Pool B Abu Dhabi Harlequins, Jebel Ali Dragons, Dubai Knights Eagles, Dubai Tigers
Opening fixtures
Thursday, December 5
6.40pm, Pitch 8, Abu Dhabi Harlequins v Dubai Knights Eagles
7pm, Pitch 2, Jebel Ali Dragons v Dubai Tigers
7pm, Pitch 4, Dubai Hurricanes v Dubai Exiles
7pm, Pitch 5, Bahrain v Dubai Eagles 2
Recent winners
2018 Dubai Hurricanes
2017 Dubai Exiles
2016 Abu Dhabi Harlequins
2015 Abu Dhabi Harlequins
2014 Abu Dhabi Harlequins
WWE Evolution results
- Trish Stratus and Lita beat Alicia Fox and Mickie James in a tag match
- Nia Jax won a battle royal, eliminating Ember Moon last to win
- Toni Storm beat Io Shirai to win the Mae Young Classic
- Natalya, Sasha Banks and Bayley beat The Riott Squad in a six-woman tag match
- Shayna Baszler won the NXT Women’s title by defeating Kairi Sane
- Becky Lynch retained the SmackDown Women’s Championship against Charlotte Flair in a Last Woman Standing match
- Ronda Rousey retained the Raw Women’s title by beating Nikki Bella
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
Dr Amal Khalid Alias revealed a recent case of a woman with daughters, who specifically wanted a boy.
A semen analysis of the father showed abnormal sperm so the couple required IVF.
Out of 21 eggs collected, six were unused leaving 15 suitable for IVF.
A specific procedure was used, called intracytoplasmic sperm injection where a single sperm cell is inserted into the egg.
On day three of the process, 14 embryos were biopsied for gender selection.
The next day, a pre-implantation genetic report revealed four normal male embryos, three female and seven abnormal samples.
Day five of the treatment saw two male embryos transferred to the patient.
The woman recorded a positive pregnancy test two weeks later.
EA Sports FC 26
Publisher: EA Sports
Consoles: PC, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox Series X/S
Rating: 3/5
Company Profile:
Name: The Protein Bakeshop
Date of start: 2013
Founders: Rashi Chowdhary and Saad Umerani
Based: Dubai
Size, number of employees: 12
Funding/investors: $400,000 (2018)
LA LIGA FIXTURES
Friday Valladolid v Osasuna (Kick-off midnight UAE)
Saturday Valencia v Athletic Bilbao (5pm), Getafe v Sevilla (7.15pm), Huesca v Alaves (9.30pm), Real Madrid v Atletico Madrid (midnight)
Sunday Real Sociedad v Eibar (5pm), Real Betis v Villarreal (7.15pm), Elche v Granada (9.30pm), Barcelona v Levante (midnight)
Monday Celta Vigo v Cadiz (midnight)
More on Quran memorisation:
