Keeping up his attack on the opposition ahead of Sunday's vote of confidence in the National Assembly, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Saturday said that if Leader of Opposition and PML-N leader Shehbaz Sharif takes over, "they will do slavery of America".
Imran Khan made the remarks in a TV address during which he also took questions from the viewers. "Shehbaz Sharif will be a slave of America... he said in a TV Programme yesterday that beggars are not choosers... what does this mean? Does that mean that the poor and beggars are slaves. Ask him (Shehbaz Sharif) who brought Pakistan to such a state. Just because we are poor, should we be slaves?" Imran Khan said.
Opposition parties have said that Imran Khan "has lost majority" with some of his allies deserting him and that Shahbaz Sharif will be the Prime Minister.
Imran Khan attacked Shahbaz Sharif saying he faces allegations of massive corruption. He also referred to the "threat letter" from a foreign power and linked the opposition's no-trust vote with it.
"The letter says as soon as Imran Khan is removed, we will spare you... They all had conspired beforehand that when Imran Khan is removed, Shahbaz Sharif will come, on whom there are allegations of corruption worth millions," Khan said.
"Who brought Pakistan to Life Support machine? These three stooges were taking turns to rule the country for 30 years, they have brought us to this state and are now asking us to be slaves of America," he added.
Khan has been referring to Shehbaz Sharif, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rahman as "three-stooges".
"They will always be slaves of America and will make all of you slaves of America," Imran Khan said. He urged people, especially the youth, to come on the streets to express their disapproval of the opposition's move against him.
The no-confidence motion against the Imran Khan government is set to be tabled in the National Assembly on Sunday and he faces the prospect of losing it.
Imran Khan had also raised the "foreign conspiracy" charge in an address to the nation on Thursday amid the opposition's growing confidence about the no-trust motion.
Imran Khan first mentioned "United States" in this context and then immediately changed tack to say "foreign country".
"On March 8 or before that on March 7, the US sent us a...not the US but a foreign country sent us a message. The reason why I talking about this...for an independent country to receive such a message... this is against me and the country," he had said.
The United States has rejected Imran Khan's allegations regarding Washington's role in the alleged "foreign conspiracy" to oust him from power. Imran Khan is the third Prime Minister to face the no-confidence motion in Pakistan.
