BALLOKI/Kasur   -  Prime Minister Imran Khan said yesterday that no one involved in corruption will be given National Reconciliation Ordinance as giving NRO to any corrupt person will be tantamount to commit treason.

He said plunderers and looters of national wealth were nation’s criminals and deserved no leniency. “The plunderers deserve no concession or leniency and the law should make an example of them,” declared PM Imran Khan while addressing a ceremony of the launch of spring tree plantation campaign in Balloki.

The drive has been launched under Plant for Pakistan Campaign over 2500 acres of land retrieved from grabbers.

PM Khan said that leader of the opposition in the National Assembly had been made chairman Public Account Committee “only for sugar coating the political bitterness in the Parliament.” He categorically declared that ‘criminals’ would never be forgiven and would be brought to justice.

The premier resolved that everyone would be made accountable for “his deeds and corruption” and nobody is above the law.

He revealed the government was set to plant 10 billion trees across the country during the next five years to eliminate pollution and turn Pakistan green. He said the PTI government would carry out massive plantation across the country over the lands retrieved from land mafia and would turn it into forests.

He said that there was an acute shortage of forests in Pakistan as it stood at 8th number among the countries with lowest forest covers in the world. He said government was taking serious measures for reforestation and regretted over the elimination of forests in Changa Manga, Mian Chunnu and Kundian by land grabbers. He said the pollution was aggravating in Pakistan day by day and if solid measures were not taken on time, next generation would suffer a lot due to excessive pollution.

The prime minister urged the youth to widely participate in the plantation campaign to make it a success and materialise dream of green and pollution-free Pakistan.

The premier said, “Earlier two NROs have caused irreparable loss to the country. Pervez Musharraf gave NRO to Nawaz Sharif for 10 years in Hudaibia Paper Mills corruption case to save his chair.”

“On the other hand, Rs2 billion from the national exchequer were spent on Asif Zardari’s Swiss case and there was a Surrey Mansion case in London which the Pakistan government won and the country was to get the money, however, an NRO was signed and that case was closed,” he said.

PM Imran explained, “NRO is forgiving very big suspects. Two NROs destroyed the country and our current circumstances are owing to that.”

The premier continued, “These two NROs gave the powerful the impression that theft is no big deal and no matter how much you steal, the powerful thieves are not caught in Pakistan.”

“The result of this was that from 2008 to 2018, two leaders who were given NRO governed for five years each. In 2008, Pakistan’s debt stood at Rs6,000 billion but after the terms of the two leaders it rose to Rs30,000 billion as they had no fear,” he added.

Imran further said, “Owing to these two NROs, the nation is suffering today, the prices of commodities have increased and the value of rupee has fallen. When you take loans and leave historic debts, then the nation will have to pay.”

“Today, I see on TV the faces of those who increased our debts questioning what we have done in the last five months. They are the ones who left us in debt and are asking us for answers,” the prime minister stated.

Questioning how the previous leaders have the audacity to say they “did good work”, the premier stressed, “We will not leave anyone who made the country bankrupt.”

“We are asking those for accountability who destroyed the country. This is Tabdeeli (change),” he added.

Taking a hit at Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Shehbaz Sharif, PM Imran said, “In its history of democracy it has never happened that a man becomes chairman of Public Accounts Committee from jail and then summons the accountability watchdog (NAB) which is probing him.”

“Now no favours will be given to corrupt people,” PM Imran stressed.

These corrupt leaders fleeced billion of rupees. They constructed five homes in the name of their drivers in Dubai and laundered money in billions of rupees by opening accounts in the name of deceased.

He announced to name Balloki Wildlife Park as Baba Guru Nanak Park saying a university in the name of Baba Guru Nanak will be built here.

He asserted that equal rights will be given to all minorities in Pakistan so that they don’t feel that they are second rated citizens here.

He said the government had tried its level best to accommodate opposition and let the parliament work, but now, onwards, they would no longer give concession to any corrupt one.

Comparing the past regimes with his PTI government, the prime minister said that within five months of his government’s tenure, three ministers had resigned on the allegations of corruption.“It is the change,” he added.

On the other hand, he said, those involved in the fake bank accounts by siphoning off worth billion of rupees and owners of illegal properties abroad, had no courage to resign.

The prime minister said the accountability had no discrimination and his government would ensure such robust accountability process.

Ishaq Dar, the former finance minister, had also submitted a confessional statement as to how the money was laundered in that case, besides, BBC also ran a documentary, he added. 

The prime minister compared the country’s economic condition by citing an example and questioned how a shop or factory which ran into loans and losses could generate profit!

The prime minister cautioned that Pakistan ranked at eight among worst climate affected countries in the world and if environmental warming was not properly checked, it would pose greater challenges in the upcoming years in terms of water scarcity, melting of glaciers and pollution.

He warned that the pollution level in Lahore had reached to alarming levels which had been among the world top two most environment polluted metropolis, besides Delhi.

About 70 percent trees had been felled in Lahore and now the smog had been hitting the old ones and the young in Lahore worst, he observed.

In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa alone, over 1 billion trees had been planted successfully which was acknowledged by the world, he said adding the whole country would be turned into green.

The prime minister appreciated the efforts of Deputy Commissioner Nankana Sahib for retrieving the land. The prime minister stressing upon the severity of deforestation issue, termed the ongoing drive for recovery of state land a Jihad against land mafia.

“Consider it a Jihad for the future of our generations. Cities are being enormously expanded and cultivable land is being shrunk which could give rise to food security in future”, he warned.

The prime minister also suggested construction of vertical buildings to avoid damage to the cultivable land and green areas.

He said government would fulfill its commitment over the opening of Kartarpur corridor and would facilitate Sikh Yatrees from India on the occasion of 550th anniversary of Guru Nanak.

Earlier, Imran launched the Spring Tree Plantation Campaign at Balloki, Nankana Sahib. He formally inaugurated the campaign by planting a sapling there.

On the occasion, the prime minister was briefed about tree plantation campaign.

The prime minister directed that the forest land given on lease in Punjab should be retrieved. He said forest cover in Pakistan was already very low as compared to the region.

Local leadership of PTI from both Kasur and Nankana Sahib districts attended the ceremony in a large number.