Sheikh Rasheed claims he was coerced into TV interview

Rawalpindi: Pakistan Awami Muslim League (AML) Chief and former Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed revealed that he was forced to do interview on a local private TV.

“I did not read whatever they handed me over to read. I am leading my life, because they were not happy with my interview. They did not accept it. I had decided to stay strong and did not make any statement against Imran and his wife. So, I do not appear on TV for interviews and avoid from making statements,”  said Sheikh Rasheed during an exclusive interview to GNN Plus with Umar Bashir.

He openly said that he was still with Imran Khan.

Sheikh Rasheed said, “I have no connection with his party but I am still with Imran Khan,”.

He also stated that he could come out of “chilla” within just four minutes if he had given statements or testified against Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi.

“Had I testified against Imran and his wife or had spoken up about 190 million pounds case I would have not undergone the 40-day chilla ,” he said, adding that he refused to sign the statements in favour of the cipher and other cases.

Sheikh Rasheed said his health also got disturbed during that time as he lost his 40 kg weight. He said that the situation could change within next 45 days.

 He said that the people were now afraid of police, and unveiled that a funeral was looted in broad-day light.

“I’m just telling you that every mohalla [] is not reporting to the police. Perhaps one per cent people are reporting to the police. The police officials are also not taking houses on rent. Because they know the  people have started hating them,” said Sheikh Rasheed.

He stated that he had nothing to do with his appearance on the TVs, saying that it seemed quite meaningless these days.

He went on to say that that he was in the good hands for 40 days during “chilla”. He said he was not tortured that time. He said he was kept in a small room and was provided a mattress, sheet and Holy Quran for recitation.

He stated that he used to have good ties with the establishment.

“I never met army chief in the past with the permission. It was level of my connection with the army but later my ties got weakened. But, luckily, during 40-day Chilla, I was not misbehaved,” he added.

Sheikh Rasheed said that he had already come to know that he would be behind the bars during the general elections and would be out soon after the elections.

 “In my view, the situation is still cloudy as no one has the solution for the problems. I think the situations will further deteriorate in the future,” he said, keeping in view the situation of his Laal Haveli’s street. People, he said, were hardly meeting their daily expenses.

Responding to a question, Sheikh Rasheed said that the public is still with Imran Khan but the time would decide the outcome of the prevailing situation.

He criticized the present government by saying that the current rulers did not do anything right.

“They [the current govt led by PML-N] went to China to get something,” he said.

To a question about Maryam Nawaz, Sheikh Rasheed said that he would not like to comment about the children or the daughters.