Islamabad, May 23 (IANS): Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif alleged that his predecessor Imran Khan wants to start a civil war in the country, but warned him that the nation will hold him by the collar for his "nefarious designs".

"Imran Niazi wants to initiate a civil war in the country. But he is mistaken. The nation will never forgive him (for the sin) and will hold him by the collar," Dawn news quoted Prime Minister Sharif as saying in reply to a question about the long march on Islamabad the opposition PTI is planning to take out on Wednesday.

When asked if the government would call in the army to stop the long march, visibly upset at the query the premier replied that a decision would be taken if and when needed.

Speaking on the same issue in Bahawalpur, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah said the government and its allies would decide whether the PTI long march should be allowed to enter Islamabad.

"If the coalition goes for action, we will not allow protesters to even come out of their homes," he was quoted as saying by Dawn news.

When told that the PTI leadership had promised to remain peaceful, Sanaullah said he did not trust Khan since he had a history of speaking "lies and taking U-turns".

"Keeping in view the past record of PTI and its workers, my apprehensions are that they will come to Islamabad with the intent to cause anarchy."

The Interior Minister said personally he wanted to detain Khan for three days in the same cell where he was imprisoned for months in a cooked-up drug smuggling case.

"Three days behind bars will wipe politics out of him."