Only animals are neutral: PM Imran Khan

TIMERGARA: Prime Minister Imran Khan said on Friday that Allah did not allow us to be neutral as “only animals are neutral”.

Addressing a public gathering at Dir Scouts ground in Balambat area in Lower Dir district, the prime minister said animals do not distinguish between good and evil. "Humans act according to their conscience. And only animals remain neutral," he said.

Prime Minister Imran Khan said he was happy that the opposition was moving a no-trust motion against him and claimed he was going to take three wickets with one in-swinging yorker.

"I prayed to Almighty Allah that the opposition may move a no-confidence motion against me in the National Assembly so that I may take the wickets of Asif Ali Zardari, Shehbaz Sharif and Fazlur Rehman with a single delivery," he said.

The prime minister said Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa had asked him to avoid calling JUIF chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman "diesel". However, he said, that he was not the one but the people who had named him [Maulana] "diesel".

Speaking of the three "stooges" -- leaders of JUIF, PPP, PMLN who have joined hands against him -- Imran Khan said the chiefs of these three parties are among those who have been ruling the county for the last 30-35 years. “If today the world does not recognise Pakistan’s green passport it is because of these three because these three mortgaged Pakistan,” he claimed.

Recalling Fazlur Rahman’s previous press conference, Prime Minister Imran Khan said that Fazl had earlier said that when he comes into power he will fix the institution. However, the PM claimed that the PDM chief had meant “he wants to fix Pakistan Army”.

Criticising Fazlur Rahman for this statement, the prime minister said that if Pakistan is surviving today it is because of a strong army. “Muslim countries including Somalia, Syria and Afghanistan are in crisis; however, Pakistan is saved because we have the most powerful army in the Muslim world,” he said.

Questioning Fazlur Rahman for his statement, he asked how will he [Fazl] fix the institution? “These three leaders destroy all the institutions they try to fix,” claimed PM Imran Khan, highlighting that they attacked the courts in Pakistan, bribed the judges, chased away the chief justice of Supreme Court and did yellow journalism.

Without mentioning the name of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, Imran Khan said that the “biggest coward and the biggest liar” of Pakistan is residing outside the country. “They say I shouldn’t call him fugitive but the fact is that he is a fugitive and liar,” the prime minister said, adding that he started envelope journalism in Pakistan.

“The person who tried to bribe former army chief Asif Nawaz Janjua with a BMW is planning to fix the Pakistan Army,” he said, taking a jibe at the PMLN supremo. “The person who met Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Nepal and invited the person who is torturing the Kashmiris to a wedding; how will he fix the Pakistan Army,” he questioned, highlighting all the issues.

Once again criticising them, he questioned: “Who will fix the army -- PDM chief, who told the American ambassador that he is ready to serve him if given one chance, or PPP’s Asif Ali Zardari, who wrote a letter to America to protect him from the army? Or will Shehbaz Sharif, who said that I did wrong by criticising the European Union, fix the institute?”

Speaking about PPP’s ‘Awaami March’, Prime Minister Imran Khan said that after so much they brought people to Islamabad from Sindh and what was the message that he gave “kaanpein tang rahi hain”.

Taking a jibe at the PPP chairman, the PM said that by the time Bilawal leaves politics, new words will be added to the dictionary like “kaanpein tang rahi hain, cheeni ugg rahi hai”. “This is what happens when you forcefully try to make a person a leader…kaanpein taangti hain,” he stated.

The prime minister said he had asked his MNAs to take money from the opposition for the no-confidence motion and distribute it among orphans, poor and the destitute but never sell their conscience.

“I want to convey this message that when a person bows down in front of somebody, they lose their self-respect; and when a nation bows down in front of somebody nobody respects the country and its passport,” the premier said.

The PM told the charged crowd that he has focused on three things since he entered into politics 25 years ago. "[I want] to make our country self-sufficient, to make our country a welfare-state and to ensure law and justice prevail in the country,” he said.

“These three principals have been a part of PTI’s manifesto and these were adopted from Riasat-e-Madina,” he added. "The opposition will see a sea of humans at D-Chowk in Islamabad a day before presenting the no-trust motion," he said.

"I have waged a jihad against the thieves who plundered this country. They are now trying to purchase the conscience of parliamentarians for millions of rupees," he alleged. The prime minister said the US carried out a total of 400 drone strikes in Pakistan from 2008 to 2018 but neither of the "three thieves" condemned the attacks.

It was the PTI that not only condemned the drone strikes but also staged protests against the violation of the country's sovereignty, he went on to add. The prime minister said he was committed to making Pakistan a welfare state.

"We have launched several public-friendly initiatives despite severe financial crunch," he said and held the past rulers responsible for the poor economic condition of the country. The premier said he wanted to enhance the image of Pakistan in the comity of nations.

Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Minister for Defence Pervez Khattak, Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Asad Umar, Senator Faisal Javed, Governor Shah Farman, Chief Minister Mahmood Khan, MNAs Anwarzeb Khan, Gul Zafar, Bashir Khan and others were also present.

Speaking on the occasion, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi called on the International Air Transport Association and the European Union (EU) to take notice of the Indian violation of Pakistan's airspace by firing a missile that landed in Mian Channu the other day.

In his address, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Mahmood Khan warned the disgruntled PTI workers contesting the local government elections as independent candidates to withdraw their candidature within one week or else strict disciplinary action would be taken against them.