SIALKOT - Imran Khan has said that he was fighting for the poor and the oppressed, and his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf has become a ray of hope for everyone in the country.
"I will no longer let the people to be fooled by the corrupt rulers and politicians in the country. The rulers are reluctant to take stern action against corrupt elements because they themselves are corrupt.”
Addressing a big public meeting at Jinnah Stadium Sialkot Sunday night, the PTI chairman stressed the need for provision of justice to everyone.
Declaring both of them corrupt to the core, the cricketer-turned-politician vowed to continue his war on Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif as well as PPP Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari.
Strengthening of national institutions and good governance is essential for national progress, which can’t be achieved without eliminating corruption, poverty, unemployment and social injustice, he said. This is the way the developed nation of the world has achieved greatness, he added.
Imran Khan said that only the PTI has the political agenda of national prosperity and progress, and only this party can rid the country of corrupt politicians.
He said that the whole nation was standing on a dangerous curve and “we have to make the final decision of ousting the corrupt rulers from power now”.
He said that the people of Sialkot are politically mature. “I salute you!”
PTI chief said the rulers plundered the national wealth and this nasty practice had made the nation poor.
The international monetary institutions (which give loans to the country) do not allow Pakistan import cheap gas from Iran, he said, adding that the corrupt governments borrow huge amounts which ultimately the whole nation has to pay back.
Imran Khan said PTI in its four years of government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has set an example of good governance. The quality of education at state schools have improved which is evident from the fact that as many as 34,000 students have left private schools for public schools.
“This is something that has happened for the first time in Pakistan,” he said as he challenged the Punjab and Sindh government to show their performance in this regard.
"Yes, we are building a New Pakistan and a New KPK."
Imran lashed out at the PML-N government for its alleged poor economical and trade policies. He said Pakistan needs foreign investment, not loans, for national development.
He said that there was law of jungle in Pakistan due to which the foreign investors were staying away, and this should be a point of grave concern for everyone.
PTI chief pledged that after coming to power, his party would provide speedy justice to everyone in the country, paving the way for national progress and prosperity. The PTI's way is the way of peace and justice, he added.
“We have the true path, which would lead to the golden era of the country... the others' way is the way to darkness. We have to pull the country out of this darkness,” he said, adding that may Allah bless those who are treading the right path.
Addressing Nawaz Sharif, Imran Khan said "please step down as prime minister of the country; have mercy on the nation; please go away as enough is enough; you [already] have plundered the national wealth with both hands".
At this, the jam-packed stadium echoed with loud slogans of "Go Nawaz Go".
He vowed to get back every plundered penny from the corrupt politicians, stressing that “corruption can never be stopped if the Head of the Government himself is corrupt".
Imran Khan said as Nawaz Sharif was not stepping down on his own, the people will outs him and his corrupt associates.
He said the masses have become mature enough politically and they were not ready to accept Nawaz as prime minister after the Supreme Court's verdict in Panama leaks case.
“People want to get rid of the corrupt rulers and PTI would lead them to realise the dream of corruption-free Pakistan,” he said.
A number of PTI workers were injured during a stampede at the venue. As the stampede occurred the highly-charged PTI workers tried to climb up the stage by removing the hurdles.
A big show of fireworks was also staged at the stadium upon the arrival of Imran Khan.
Former PML-N MPA Ch Akhlaq Ahmed and former Olympian Asif Bajwa announced their joining the PTI during this public meeting.
Addressing the public meeting, Awami Muslim League chief Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed said that through their participation in the public gathering, the people of Sialkot have voted in favour of PTI. This should be an eye opener for the rulers, he added.
Sheikh Rasheed urged the prime minister to step down, saying if Nawaz Sharif refused to step down then people were ready to drag him out. He said all the key political parties were demanding resignation from Nawaz. Pakistan and Nawaz Sharif cannot go together anymore, he said.
Jehangir tareen in his address raised asked where the PM’s Rs2 billion Lodharan Development Programme had gone.
Shah Mehmood Qureshi strongly criticised Khawaja Muhammad Asif (Sialkot based federal minister) for not visiting the country's borders as the defence minister to boost troop morale in face of the cross-border shelling.
He said that Khawaja Asif had been too busy in defending the corruption of Nawaz Sharif to meet his responsibility as the defence minister of the country.
He also accused the Punjab government for not ensuring the purchase of wheat yield on the fixed official rate. He said the Punjab government was exploiting the growers and farmers.
Qureshi said the whole of the Pakistani nation was paying for the mistakes of the politicians and their plundering the national wealth.