Sharifs preparing to launch character assassination drive against me: Imran Khan

• Ex-PM says Sharifs have hired companies that are readying the material for his character assassination.
• "When someone talks about their corruption, they attack his character," he maintains.
• He says his ex-wife Jemima was also targeted in the past and a campaign was run against her.

ISLAMABAD: Ousted prime minister and PTI Chairman Imran Khan claimed that his opponents [the Sharifs] have hired companies that are preparing for his character assassination, The News reported Friday.

During an interview with a media channel, the former premier addressed the issue amid repeated warnings and cautioning by PTI-backed social media accounts regarding what it termed “deep fake videos”.

Such videos use a form of artificial intelligence called deep learning to create life-like but fake videos of people. Similarly, the social media platforms opposed to him are also discussing this matter from different angles while some have regretted this "element" in the political arena and want an end to it.

Read more: Imran Khan and I were aware of meetings Nawaz was holding to topple PTI govt, Sheikh Rasheed says

The PTI chairman maintained that the Sharifs have made preparations to launch a character assassination drive against him after Eid.

"Now that Eid is over, you will see they are fully prepared for my character assassination. They have hired companies that are readying the material on this count,” he said, adding that he had to face mafias, the biggest of which was the Sharif mafia.

The former premier mentioned that they [Sharifs] always resort to attacking on a personal level because they have been indulging in corruption for the last 35 years. “When someone talks about their corruption, they attack their character,” he added.

Read more: Case against Farah Khan totally wrong, Imran Khan says

Regarding the campaign against Jemima Goldsmith, he said: “My ex-wife was also targeted in the past and a campaign was run against her, accusing her of being part of the Jewish lobby. Likewise, a false case was filed against her, accusing her of exporting antique tiles from the country”.

Taking a jibe at the incumbent coalition government, he highlighted that 60% of the federal cabinet was out on bail. Referring to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Punjab Chief Minister Hamza Shahbaz, Khan said the father is on bail and so is the son, whereas Maryam [Nawaz] is also out on bail and Nawaz Sharif has been convicted and his sons have fled abroad. “So, what defence will they have?” he questioned.

The PTI chairman pointed out that they [Sharifs] are required to answer the allegations levelled against them, insisting that they can't come up in any democracy if they are out on bail; hence, they can't get any position.

He continued that instead of giving an answer for the billions of rupees they had stolen, the Sharifs will now focus on his character assassination.

Read more: 'Hundreds' of men protest outside Jemima Goldsmith's 88-year-old mother’s house

Khan wondered what was Jemima's crime? "She was my wife, now they have found Farah and her crime is that she is a close friend of Bushra Bibi."

He contended that the Sharifs have made tapes similar to the ones of former chief justice of Pakistan Saqib Nisar and the late judge Arshad Malik.

About the Sharifs, he said: "This is mafia style. I only want the nation to understand that if you want to smear anyone’s name, there are companies that can help you to achieve this.”