Former Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan wrote an op-ed for The Telegraph on May 2, blaming the military establishment for oppression, election rigging and trying to upend his political party PTI.

“The military establishment, under the direct guidance of Gen Asim Munir, the chief of army staff, has tried every tactic to decimate my party’s presence from the political environment of Pakistan,” wrote Khan.

The former Prime Minister also said that even though the electoral symbol of a cricket bat was taken from PTI “the people came out and voted overwhelmingly for candidates supported by my party, the Pakistan Tehreek e Insaf (PTI).”

Khan emphasized that PTI supporters were “falsely accused” of attacking military installations on May 9 2023 because it was used “as a pretext for a crackdown” on PTI workers.

“Military leadership has been subjected to overt criticism at a level unseen before in our history. The government is a laughing stock,” stated Khan.

He also expressed regret over the “sorry state of judicial affairs” in the country and warned that the country is going on “the same path it trod in 1971, when it lost East Pakistan, now Bangladesh.”

Naming the COAS General Asim Munir publicly, he wrote:

“The military establishment has done all they could against me. All that is left for them is to now murder me. I have stated publicly that if anything happens to me or my wife, Gen Asim Munir will be responsible. But I am not afraid because my faith is strong. I would prefer death over slavery.”