"Those who voted in favour of the 26th constitutional amendment betrayed Pakistan": Imran Khan
Oct 30, 2024
Rawalpindi [Pakistan] October 30, : Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf founder Imran Khan said that those who voted in favour of the controversial 26th constitutional amendment bill "betrayed" the nation.
Recently, the National Assembly and Senate passed the bill with a two-thirds majority under which the term for the Chief Justice of Pakistan was set at three years, the ARY News reported.
During the interaction with reporters and his lawyers in a makeshift courtroom inside Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi on Tuesday the former prime minister alleged that he was being treated worse than animals in jail.
"I want to clearly state that those who voted in favour of the 26th constitutional amendment betrayed Pakistan by destroying the very foundations of our Constitution," he said in a post on Wednesday.
https://x.com/ImranKhanPTI/status/1851523041697603669
Khan alleged that he would stand firmly for the "genuine freedom" of Pakistan despite the attempts to break his spirit through "torture".
"I was tortured by being confined in a cage and treated worse than animals. This was an extremely vile act. Electricity to my cell was shut off for five days, leaving me in complete darkness. I was confined to the cell for ten days. For several weeks, any visits by family members, doctors, or lawyers were blocked. They want to break me through this torture and hardship, but I will stand firm for the genuine freedom of the Pakistani nation," it added.
Imran Khan said that Nawaz Sharif was not concerned about Pakistan and he only looted it.
"Nawaz Sharif is not concerned about the future of Pakistan. Nor does he have the best interest of the Pakistani people at heart because he has his own wealth and properties stashed abroad. They only come to Pakistan to loot and plunder it and then return to their homeland. He went to the UK 22 times while he was Prime Minister. However, now he is the 12th man [cricket terminology - sidelined] so he has again gone back to his motherland," he said.
The PTI founder said that he was concerned about the abduction of his "focal person" Intazar Panjutha.
"I am deeply concerned about the abduction of Intazar Panjutha. This enforced disappearance is a result of the enmity against me personally. There is complete lawlessness in the country. It has been 21 days since the abduction of my focal person. What is his crime? It is unfortunate that even the courts are silent," he said.
Under the constitutional amendment, the term for the Chief Justice of Pakistan has been set at three years. A 12-member parliamentary committee will nominate the new Chief Justice of Pakistan from a panel of the three most senior judges, ARY News reported.
As per the report, the committee, comprising eight members from the National Assembly and four from the Senate, will propose the name to the Prime Minister, who will then forward it to the President for final approval.
A Judicial Commission of Pakistan, led by the Chief Justice and including three senior judges, two members each from the National Assembly and Senate, the Federal Minister for Law and Justice, the Attorney General, and a nominee of the Pakistan Bar Council, having not less than fifteen years of practice in the Supreme Court, will be responsible for appointments of the judges of the Supreme Court, as per ARY News.