Imran Khan has claimed democracy in Pakistan is at “an all-time low” in an exclusive interview with Sky News.
The former prime minister said – in his first interview since being bailed – that the government is “petrified of elections” and they fear being “wiped out” by his party at the polls.
He continued: “So they have decided that the only way they will allow elections is if I am inside jail or killed.”
Mr Khan revealed that “there have been two attempts” on his life and his house was raided while he was detained.
One of the “assassination attempts” was in November last year when Mr Khan was shot in the leg during a rally in Punjab province.
Read more: Unfazed and surprisingly alert – Imran Khan agrees to Sky News interview
Mr Khan condemned “all violence” when asked about alleged violence by protesters.
“Democracy is at an all-time low. The only hope we have is the judiciary,” he said.
It comes after he was arrested earlier this week on corruption charges, then released on bail on Friday following a ruling from Pakistan’s High Court.
His detention sparked countrywide violence that left at least 10 people dead and dozens injured.
On Friday, he said: “The first time they showed me an arrest warrant was inside the jail. It happens in the law of the jungle, the military abducted me. Where were the police? Where is the law? It’s the law of the jungle. It seems there is martial law declared here.”
Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif criticised his release on Friday, saying there was a “genuine corruption case” against Mr Khan, “but the judiciary has become a stone wall protecting him”.
Mr Khan, 70, a popular opposition leader, was prime minister between 2018 and 2022.
Read more:Imran Khan released from custody after Pakistan court rules arrest illegalFormer prime minister of Pakistan Imran Khan is arrested in Islamabad – Pakistan’s information minister defends arrest of Imran Khan
Pakistan’s information minister, Marriyum Aurangzeb, defended the former professional cricketer’s arrest.
She told Sky News: “A person who has defied court, who does not abide by the law, who avoid courts and who thinks he’s untouchable and cannot be questioned, has to be treated the way every citizen is treated.”
She rejected claims that there were political motives behind the arrest, as Mr Khan surfs a wave of popularity.
“If we wanted to arrest him or silence him because of his popularity, we would not have waited 14 months,” she said.
