By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD The jailed former prime minister Imran Khan said on Saturday he had been prevented from meeting with his party leaders to discuss the distribution of tickets for the upcoming general elections.
Khan, who is serving a three-year sentence for corruption, spoke to reporters after appearing in an accountability court, where he faces the case of illegally selling gifts he received from foreign leaders as prime minister.
“I was not allowed to consult about the distribution of party tickets… I was never allowed to meet with my party leaders in jail despite court orders,” Khan said.
He said he had no role in the selection of candidates for his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party. Before the hearing, Khan was confronted by some PTI workers and candidates who complained to him about being denied party tickets for the elections, which are due on February 8.
Khan told them he had little say in the ticket distribution and was unaware of the criteria. “I couldn’t make a quick decision on awarding 850 tickets in a brief discussion with party leaders.”
The ex-PM also commented on an article he wrote for The Economist magazine.
Khan said he had dictated the article to his lawyers and asked them to get more information from his previous interviews.
Dawn newspaper reported that the jail authorities had intercepted some handwritten notes of Khan that his lawyers were taking out from the jail, but later returned them after the judge intervened.
The judge asked the lawyers to remove Khan’s signatures from the notes before handing them back, the report said.
Copyright © 2021 Independent Pakistan | All rights reserved
