Imran Khan plans street protests to press for new Pakistan elections

NEW DELHI: Pakistan's former prime minister Imran Khan on Saturday night warned of nationwide street protests in the coming days if the government doesn't agree to hold new general elections.

Imran said his opponents are "running away" from the elections as they are afraid of losing.

"If they do not hold free and fair elections, then people are ready to take to the streets of Pakistan to hold peaceful protests. We will compel them to hold elections," he said at a rally organised by his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party in the city of Gujranwala in Punjab province.

The rally was the last in a three-week-long round of mass gatherings organised by the PTI for "haqeeqi azadi" (real freedom).

Demonstrations were also held in a number of cities, including Karachi, Peshawar, Lahore and Islamabad, on Saturday evening in solidarity with the former premier.

Since his government was ousted in April in a parliamentary vote of no-confidence, which the PTI alleges on a foreign-backed regime change conspiracy, Imran has addressed huge rallies across the country.

His party won the by-elections in Punjab in July.

-- BERNAMA