“The PTI chairman had predicted during the 2014 sit-in that Justice Nasirul Mulk would replace Justice Tassaduq Hussain Jilani and dissolve assemblies under the Supreme Court,” Hashmi told journalists. “Imran said a new government would then asend to power with the PTI emerging victorious in elections,” he added.Hashmi went on to add that some disgruntled elements in the military wanted to get rid of General Raheel Sharif and use Imran to destroy democracy. The veteran politician also claimed that PTI leader Shah Mahmood Qureshi had told those present at a party meeting that there had been no rigging in Punjab with the exception of a few isolated incidents.
He also challenged the PTI chairman to a verbal duel to ascertain who had been lying. Earlier on Sunday, Imran insinuated that the veteran politician had ‘gone senile’ in the wake of his December 30 claims.In a fiery diatribe against his old party, Hashmi made the allegation that, "Disgruntled elements in the army wanted to make Raheel Sharif unsuccessful at any cost, and through Imran Khan, they wanted to destroy the parliament."
The former PTI leader even alleged that senior party members had not been convinced that there had been rigging on a large scale in Punjab during the 2014 election, despite the PTI's public stance during their historic sit-in the same year that large-scale election rigging had resulted in the party's loss.
"The parliamentary leader was Shah Mahmood Qureshi. Presiding over the parliamentary leaders, he [had] said that there had been no rigging in Punjab. At most, in one or two constituencies," Hashmi claimed.
Hashmi also accused Imran Khan of working in league with non-political forces working against the government, whom Hashmi referred to as 'script writers'.
"Our script writers, whoever they were, wrote that Tahir-ul-Qadri would go to parliament and we [the PTI] would sit behind them. That was the main script," he claimed.
"Imran said [former Chief Justice of Pakistan] Tasadduq Jillani would leave and then Nasir-ul-Mulk would [be sworn in]. He would [listen to us] and dissolve the assemblies. And after that, there would be elections in 90 days. During that time, he said, the Supreme Court will take over and then we [the PTI] will win," Hashmi alleged.
"I said, Imran Khan, this is not how it happens. This sit-in will not be successful."
"If you're not winning, don't destroy the entire country because you are frustrated," Hashmi said, recalling his conversation with the PTI chief.
"I resigned because the Supreme Court's holidays were [suddenly] cancelled ... This seemed like a very big conspiracy to me," he said.
"This seemed like the last item [on the script]. Because the generals had already told Imran Khan that Nawaz Sharif would not sign his resignation letter," Hashmi claimed.
The veteran politician was referring to an incident in 1999, when General Mahmood had allegedly asked PM Nawaz Sharif to sign his resignation, but the premier chose not to sign the letter and told the general to kill him instead.
"It was [Imran Khan's] second step to get everything done by the Supreme Court," Hashmi added, referring possibly to a move to force the prime minister's resignation through the Supreme Court.
Hashmi also said he has always been against the PTI's strategy of sit-ins against the government. "It isn't the right strategy as it will only produce more struggle for the young political workers in your party," he said, adding that he had warned Imran his party workers would struggle on the streets for five years without any outcome.
"Young people see things in black and white," he said. "I am more experienced than he is in politics. I know what I am saying."
