KARACHI - Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan on Sunday announced to contest next general election from Karachi.
Addressing a public gathering in Gulistan-e-Joher, he claimed that PTI would emerge victorious in 2018 polls and people, after a long time, had a good chance to vote for change. Other PTI leaders including Imran Ismail, Faisal Wada, Ali Zaidi, Dr Arif Alvi and Haleem Adil Sheikh were also present on the occasion.
The PTI chairman, who reached Karachi on two-day visit, said he considered Karachi as the economic hub of the country enjoying a vital position. He said it was regrettable that for a long time the port city was neglected. The PTI chief said people in the country and abroad used to visit Karachi during vacations and there was no doubt that Karachi was running the entire system of Pakistan.
Pledging to bring change in the entire system of Karachi, Khan said politicians must unite people instead of spreading hate among them. “I always wished that people across the world should come to Karachi for employment and investment. I want to bring a change in the policing system of Karachi as party considers it a key tool to transform system of any city,” said Khan.
Announcing to contest next general election from a Karachi constituency, Khan vowed to bring change in Karachi.
Addressing a public gathering in Liaquatabad, Imran said there was terrorism in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) but today it was a peaceful province as PTI after coming into power took major steps including reforms in police department.
“We can bring betterment in every city of Pakistan by eliminating corruption from every department and politics,” said Khan and suggested that nomination for the election of the prime minister from Karachi would put the port city on the path of development and progress.
Criticising the Sindh government, he said former SSP Rao Anwar carried out more than 40 encounters under the patronage of provincial rulers. In Sindh province, police were giving protection to the robbers instead of safeguarding and helping the residents of the Sindh.
“PTI, after coming into power, will bring a change in the system which will give relief to people of the province.”
Earlier, PTI chairman, talking to a small gathering of people at airport who had come to welcome him, said that PML-N government had only three months left and keeping in view the circumstances it had no mandate to privatise the national airline. He said there was no need for the privatisation, if institutions were functioning properly and honestly. The PTI chairman said corrupt rulers were not sincere with the country as Sharifs’ steel mills were making millions while at the same time the Pakistan Steel Mill, one of the key institute of the country, was going in loss.
Later in the evening, addressing doctors forum at a local hotel in Karachi, Khan declared general election 2018 a crucial moment for the country’s future. He said that Punjab and Sindh governments had done nothing but remained involved in carrying out massive corruption. The PTI chief said Karachi was left in miserable conditions and the Sindh government, instead of resolving issues, clipped powers of the Karachi mayor.
Khan said ruling party had not made any practical efforts so far to address issue of poverty in the country.
“Only policies were made but no practical work has been done since long by the government to reduce poverty in the country.” He said as per the statistics, Lahore lies in the category of the world’s most polluted city and it was matter of great concern that about 70 per cent of city population was deprived of safe drinking water. The PTI chairman said that Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif with the provincial budget of billions of rupees had failed to establish any state-of-the-art hospital in the province.