Pakistan at risk of parochialism, says ex-PM Imran Khan

Islamabad: Former prime minister Imran Khan has said that Pakistan is at risk of parochialism as political instability and terrorism have brought the economy to the verge of collapse.

The 71-year-old Pakistan-Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder on Friday said the fragile economy of the cash-strapped country was "the biggest challenge" facing Pakistan but intelligence agencies were busy targeting one political party.

Khan said the party had been accused over the recent wave of terrorism, but the government then claimed that terrorists came from across the border.

Khan said the country was facing the risk of parochialism and no one would invest in Pakistan while the country suffered from terrorism, Dawn News reported.

Being a federal party, the PTI could tackle this grave situation as all other political parties were limited to their regions, Khan asserted after attending court proceedings in the National Accountability Bureau reference rela­ted to Bvlgari Jewellery set that Khan and his spouse Bushra Bibi allegedly retained from Toshakhana gifts at a throwaway price.

Khan said political parties could unite the nation, but it was ironic that the PTI which was the only party with a countrywide presence was “being weakened”.

Khan has been incarcerated at Adiala Jail Rawalpindi since August last year in multiple cases. He is currently facing over 200 cases.

The government has accused him of being a mastermind of the May 9, 2023 riots following his arrest in a corruption case in which dozens of military installations were vandalized and torched. The government intends to hold Khan’s military trial on May 9 events.