PM Imran Khan aims to counter no-trust plans with public meetings

ISLAMABAD: Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Farrukh Habib said the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) had decided to launch mass contact campaign to mobilise the party at grassroots level.

Speaking at a news conference, he said that the decision to this effect was taken in the Central Executive Committee (CEC) meeting chaired by Prime Minister Imran Khan, who is also chairman of PTI.

The minister said the prime minister would himself lead the mass contact campaign at the request of PTI parliamentarians who wanted the PM to directly inform the masses about the PTI’s mega initiatives and priorities.

Farrukh said that the PM issued directives to prepare a schedule of public meetings in connection with the local government (LG) elections. The meeting also discussed the distribution of tickets during the elections and considered recommendations for mayors in major cities.

During the meeting, the PM said that the organisational structure of the party would be formed, adding, “Our workers are a valuable asset to the party and the tickets will be distributed on merit.”

PM Imran Khan said that the people of Pakistan had "no better option than the PTI" and that the party would contest the elections with full force.

Farrukh Habib said that the premier briefed the CEC meeting about his visit to China and issued directives to make details of the successful tour available to the public.

It was only the PTI which had had largest public meetings in the country, the minister said, adding the provincial presidents had been asked to arrange party conventions as it was their responsibility to mobilise party at the grassroots level. According to the plan, he said that PM Imran Khan would address the large public gatherings to be arranged across the country.

On February 9, he said the prime minister would be in Faisalabad to launch the health card which would provide free medical treatment to the masses. The minister said the health card was already launched in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Islamabad, Punjab and Gilgit-Baltistan.

He said by March 31, the entire population of Punjab would be covered under the flagship health card initiative for which an amount of Rs450 billion was allocated by the provincial government.

Divulging other details of the meeting, he said that all the presidents of provincial units of PTI presented their reports on the party’s reorganisation.

The party chairman had directed the provincial presidents to complete reorganisation of the party at district level by February 15, he added. Farrukh said the party had notified its Permanent Parliamentary Board to look after matters pertaining to the upcoming local government elections in different provinces.

He said the CEC had praised and congratulated Prime Minister Imran Khan and his team for highly successful visit to China.

The joint statement issued by both countries after the meeting between PM Imran Khan and Chinese President Xi Jinping reflected time-tested and strong relations between the two countries, he noted.

Lashing out at the critics of the visit, he said national interest should be given preference over personal interests.

He said those who spoke against the China Pakistan Economic Corridor needed to know that the mega project is in full swing. Farrukh said that major work on the CPEC was completed during the present government.

“You will soon see that the fruit of CPEC will be transferred to the common man,” he remarked. He also commented on reconciliation of two major opposition parties and said they united once again to stop the government from retrieving the looted wealth stashed in the foreign countries.

He said that it was good that all the thieves had united. He said that opposition blamed PTI government for doing nothing while the world was accepting government’s economic progress. "The ongoing accountability process will go unhindered as the opposition cannot blackmail the government," he maintained.

To a query, he said the opposition’s conspiracies and nefarious designs posed no threat to the government. “We are not afraid of their resignations, no confidence motion and long marches,” he added.

He also assailed Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz President Shehbaz Sharif for laundering money through telegraphic transfers. Farrukh criticised Pakistan People’s Party Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari for laundering money through fake accounts. “There is no comparison of other political parties with the PTI which is a symbol of federation, he remarked.