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Won't resign under any circumstance, declares Imran Khan ahead of trust vote
Imran Khan denied reports of rift with the Pakistan Army, saying had the army not been there, the country would have split into three parts
Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan on Wednesday ruled out his resignation two days before the Pakistan Assembly is slated to take up the no-confidence motion against his government.
"I will not resign under any circumstance. I will play till the last ball and I will surprise them a day before as they are still under pressure," news agency ANI quoted Imran Khan speaking to Pakistan news channel Geo News.
The Pakistan prime minister also claimed that the no-confidence motion against him won't be successful.
"My trump card is that I have not laid any of my cards yet," he said.
"No one should be under the false impression that I will sit at home. I will not resign, and why should I? Should I resign due to the pressure from thieves?" he stressed while declaring he would not stay silent if forced to step down.
The Pakistan prime minister also denied reports of having fallen out with the all-powerful Pakistan Army. "Had the army not been here, the country would have split into three parts. The army should not be criticised for politicking," Khan said.
According to reports, Top senior-most generals including Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa, DG-ISI Lieutenant General Naveed Ahmed Anjum have asked Imran Khan to resign after the OIC conference. The prime minister's last-ditched efforts to buy time, which included a personal meet with Bajwa and also rushing ex-army chief Raheel Sharif to hold talks with the incumbent general haven't yielded results.
Read: India's foreign policy better than Pakistan, says Imran Khan
Besides the opposition, a substantial number of lawmakers from Imran Khan's party Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaaf (PTI) are lodged in Islamabad's Sindh House and are believed to vote against their own prime minister. During a rally in Malakand in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa earlier this week, Khan had promised to ‘forgive’ his lawmakers who he alleged had threatened to vote against the government.
“I will forgive you if you come back. We all commit mistakes. I am like a father who forgives his children and I will pardon you as well,” he had said.
