Lahore: Interim Prime Minister Imran Khan on Tuesday acknowledged that mistakes were made by the PTI in the past for which it paid a “high price”, adding that the party had now wisened up and will prioritise its “ideological” workers.

Addressing a ceremony at Punjab Governor House in Lahore, the prime minister instructed the PTI workers to prepare for the elections, saying that this time the party would give tickets to those who were aligned with the party’s political philosophy after careful consideration.

“There were mistakes [committed] by us in the past for which we had to pay a high price,” he said. “So now after learning from our mistakes, our first decision is to give tickets after a great deliberation.”

PM Imran said tickets would be given to all the MPs in attendance who still supported and continued to support the party during “difficult times”. The interim prime minister reiterated his recent claim that a “vast foreign conspiracy” was hatched against his government, referring to the opposition’s no-confidence resolution against him.

He alleged that there was a plan made abroad for a regime change in Pakistan in which “traitors here (opposition) joined with them (conspiracy planners).”

The premier added that most of the people who supported this “conspiracy” had done so inadvertently with only those at the top being in the know.

He warned that such a lesson would be taught to all those part of this alleged conspiracy in the upcoming elections that they wouldn’t only lose but “their political graves will be made forever.”

Referring to disgruntled PTI MPAs staying at a private hotel in Lahore, he said this “spectacle” was laid bare in front of the whole nation to see where people who were elected on PTI tickets and reserved seats had sold their “zameer” (conscience).

The prime minister said the PTI had approached the Supreme Court against “traitors” and opined that apart from lifetime bans, they should also be imprisoned. “If today we don’t stand against this treachery then our coming generations won’t forgive us.

“Today is a decisive and defining moment in our country,” the premier said.

He called on the people to wage peaceful protests daily, saying that to do so was their “duty” along with defeating the alleged conspiracy against his government.

The purpose of the demonstrations, he explained, was to send a message to the US and its alleged collaborators here that “this is a living nation and it won’t allow any scheme [against it] to be successful.”

The interim prime minister told his supporters to stage a demonstration at Islamabad’s F9 Park tonight after Isha prayers.