Addressing a convention in Pakistan’s Punjab province on Friday, Maryam Nawaz, Senior Vice President of the PML-N party, declared that the “game is over” for cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan. Her statement referred to the recent exodus of senior members from Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party.
During her speech, Maryam also discussed the May 9 violence in the country, which followed the arrest of Imran Khan. She accused the former prime minister of being the mastermind behind the “terrorism” of May 9, although his workers are currently facing charges in anti-terrorism court.
Since the violence, more than 70 lawyers and prominent leaders, including PTI’s Secretary General Asad Umar, former information minister Fawad Chaudhry, and former minister for human rights Shireen Mazari, have parted ways with the party.
Mocking the PTI over the mass departure of leaders, Maryam remarked that there were long queues of people leaving the party.
The PTI leaders’ exodus began when security forces initiated a crackdown against the party following attacks on civil and military institutions.
Criticizing the former prime minister, who was removed from office through a vote of no confidence in the National Assembly in April of the previous year, Maryam questioned how people could support a leader whom she described as a “jackal.”
Maryam further added that information from insiders revealed that Imran Khan, 70, was the mastermind behind the May 9 incident.
She also highlighted the contrast between Khan taking his wife, Bushra Bibi, to court covered with sheets and his utilization of other women as vanguards.
In the May 9 Pakistan violence, protests erupted after paramilitary Rangers arrested Khan from the premises of the Islamabad High Court. PTI workers vandalized several military installations in response to his arrest, including the Lahore Corps Commander’s House, the Mianwali airbase, and the ISI building in Faisalabad. The mob also stormed the Army headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi. The clashes resulted in a death toll of 10, according to the police, while PTI claimed that 40 of its workers were killed by security personnel.
Following the violence, thousands of Khan’s supporters were arrested, and the Army referred to the events as a “dark day” in the country’s history.