Imran says he will try to take opposition along till last Addresses rally in Faisalabad

FAISALABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf will totally eliminate corruption from the country, reduce taxes and bring back 200 billion dollars of the corrupt elements that have been deposited in foreign banks if it comes to power.

This was declared by PTI Chairman Imran Khan while addressing a big public meeting at Iqbal Park (Dhobhi Ghaat) here Friday night.

He said that he would try to take the opposition along till last. He said it would be his optimum struggle to wage Jihad against corruption and conduct accountability of the powerful men in positions in the country with the help of the opposition parties. He said nine opposition parties were unanimous on the agenda that they should save the country from the corrupt power-seekers and introduce reforms in the country aimed at ameliorating lot of the downtrodden segments of society including labour, farmers, industrialists, small business men and others from the curse of corruption. However, he added, he would go the last mile even if other political parties did not stand by him.

He lashed out at Nawaz Sharif government over rampant corruption which he said was eroding the very basis of the country and eating the country like termite, as every Pakistani was defaulter of Rs1.2 million.

He said the accountability should be started from top to bottom. He said Nawaz Sharif was trying to buy conscientiousness of politicians. He said Maulana Fazlur Rehamn had already been bought by Nawaz Sharif. Soon it would be clear who had been bought by Nawaz Sharif, he added. 

He said Nawaz Sharif no more deserves to remain the prime minister after lying in the National Assembly about his properties abroad.

Continuing, he said that billions of rupees were being transferred from Pakistan to foreign countries by those on the helm of affairs and the elements were floating offshore companies. He said until and unless the powerful people are put to accountability, justice could not be guaranteed to the common men in Pakistan.

Imran Khan expressed deep concern over spread of hepatitis virus in Faisalabad and said that due to non-availability of clean drinking water, more than six lakh people had contracted this disease.

He said that time is not far off when Pakistani nation would get rid of the corrupt rulers forever. He said the inception of a separate Muslim state was the dream of Quaid-e-Azam, which was achieved by offering great sacrifices. He said to achieve this objective we have to struggle hard and offer sacrifices to change the present setup of the nation. He said it was a pity that the rich were becoming richer and the poor were becoming poorer in our country because of a vicious cycle. He said due to the negative policies of the rulers, a large number of factories had been either closed down permanently or operating partially in Faisalabad and other cities of the country which had rendered thousands of the workers jobless.

He said the kiln labour was being paid Rs500 instead of Rs1,000 for preparation of 1000 raw bricks. He said due towrong policies of the incumbent government, our youth is becoming jobless day by day and the street crimes were rapidly increasing. He said the government was levying heavy taxes on consumer goods which have caused up to 50% increase in prices.

Lashing out at rulers in Pakistan, he said that “our rulers are looting the country with both hands and they come to power to plunder the wealth of the country”. He said the corruption was rampant from top to bottom and the matter would not be settled until and unless we make the rulers accountable. He questioned that if the prime minister and his ministers were involved in corruption, then how we could stop this menace in masses. He said a corrupt person at the helm of affairs could not make accountable the other corrupt person.

Citing the example of Balochistan’s finance secretary, he said NAB recently recovered 68 crore rupees in cash from his house. He said people pay 17pc general sales tax on daily-use items, 98pc on diesel and 250pc on petroleum products and 43pc GST on mobile phones. The taxes, he added, are being paid by the citizens from their own pockets and the rulers utilise the tax amount without providing any relief to common man. He said due to imposition of heavy taxes, the electricity had become dearer in Pakistan and large number of factories had been closed down.

He said till elimination of corruption, there would be no investment in the country and poverty would not be eliminated and we would have to borrow money to run the affairs of the country. He said every Pakistan was borrowing loan of Rs6 billion every day and added that the PML-N government got loans of Rs5,000 billion during the last three years.

The PTI chairman said according to Panama leaks, the family members of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif purchased four costly flats in the centre of London. He said the opposition parties put forth four questions to Nawaz Sharif that if the money spent on the purchase of flats in the UK was corruption free; if tax was paid for sending the money from Pakistan to set up offshore companies; and that he should produce documents of the properties.

Imran rejected charges of mispropriation in the Shaukat Khanum Cancer Hospital and said that he collected Rs350 crore annually as donation, bedsides collectingRs4 billion for the construction of Shaukat Khanum Hospital in Peshawar due to generous donations given by the Pakistani people.

About the Raiwind palace of the Sharif family, the PTI chairman said 2,700 policemen perform security duty at the palace, while his investment in Bani Gala in Islamabad was one fourth of the expenditures, being incurred on the security of the Raiwind palace.

He said until and unless the prime minister is made accountable, how can we startaccountability of the people. He said prime minister should step down to ensure a fair and impartial inquiry into Panama leaks.

The PTI workers starting reaching in great numbers at meeting venue from 2pm and they waited for their leader till evening in scorching heat. PTI leaders Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Jehangir Tareen and other local leaders were also present at the meeting.

On this occasion, PPP leader Raja Riaz announced quitting his party and joining the PTI. INP adds: Imran Khan said he was thankful to women who were attending the rally especially after the unfortunate incidents taking place in the party’s events in Lahore and Islamabad.

He apologised over the misbehaviour with women in the party’s previous gatherings. A video showing contradictory statements of the Sharif family members including Maryam Nawaz, Hassan and Hussain Nawaz, PM Nawaz Sharif and Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan over the Panama leaks issue, the family business and the property owned by them, was also shown at the public gathering. The PTI chief said they had formed a “Tiger Force” to protect their women supporters.