Former Prime Minister of Pakistan, Imran Khan has warned that the country will descend into a civil war if elections are not announced. "We will see if they allow us to go towards elections through legal and constitutional means otherwise this country will go towards (a) civil war," Dawn news quoted the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief as saying in an interview. The ousted premier further said there was "no question" of returning to the National Assembly as that would "mean accepting the conspiracy" that had removed his government. Khan said he was waiting for the apex court to decide on his party's plea to provide protection to the protesters, after which he said he would issue the date for the next march, Dawn new reported.
The PTI Chairman admitted he did not enjoy absolute power as the prime minister, indicating that the actual centres of power in the country lay elsewhere and "everyone knows where that is." Khan said his government had been "weak" when it came to power and had to seek coalition partners, adding that if the same situation were to arise again, he would opt for re-elections and seek a majority government or none at all. "Our hands were tied. We were blackmailed from everywhere. Power wasn't with us. Everyone knows where the power lies in Pakistan so we had to rely on them," he said without elaborating any further who he was referring to.