PESHAWAR - Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan Friday claimed 2018 general elections would usher in a new era of peace and prosperity in Pakistan, adding his party would clean sweep the polls in all the four provinces as well as at the Centre.
“My struggle against thieves like Nawaz Sharif, Asif Zardari, Asfandyar Wali Khan and others would continue till my last breath and encourage youngsters in all parts of the country to get them rid of these ‘dacoits’,” Imran Khan remarked, while addressing a mammoth public gathering at Ring Road, Peshawar, as part of PTI campaign for NA-4 by-election.
The PTI chairman said his next target is the people of Sindh and Balochistan where landlords have enslaved the poor people. He said he would start election campaign soon in Sindh to gain their support for Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf. “I will definitely call those people as thieves and dacoits for looting and plundering the country,” he stated in response to the politicians who criticise the PTI chief for using foul language.
He maintained that today the young generation of the country is working in foreign countries because there are no employment opportunities here to feed their poor families.
He questioned how they could utilise the potential of these educated youngsters when the corrupt leaders were sending the looted money abroad. He said Nawaz Sharif had looted Rs 300 billion from the national exchequer and vowed to bring back this money to alleviate poverty.
Imran Khan also raised a question over the nationalism of ANP Chief Asfandyar Wali for joining hands with looters like Nawaz Sharif and Asif Ali Zardari. On one hand he claimed himself a Pakhtun nationalist while on the other he had joined hands with dacoits, he stated.
He said Allah Almighty had given the country infinite natural resources in the shape of gas, coal, gold, marble and tourism industry, but the rulers failed to explore these resources for the national development.
He also lashed out at the Election Commission for ‘abiding’ by the directives of a disqualified prime minister and said he would criticise the ECP until it followed its constitutional mandate. He said they needed honest leadership to strengthen the state institutions and to release them from the clutches of the ruling elite.
Giving the example of Japan and China, Imran said in these states there was rigorous punishment for corruption, but here in Pakistan Maryam Nawaz was being warmly received by a convoy of dozens of vehicles.
Speaking on the occasion, KP Chief Minister Pervez Khattak highlighted the performance of the provincial government and criticised his predecessors. He said both MMA and Awami National Party deceived the public in the name of Islam and nationalism.
He recalled Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf was the first party which had banned interest-based system in the province. He said that his government was installing solar system in major mosques of the province after which the government would start stipends for religious scholars and prayer leaders. He asserted PTI had introduced a merit-based selection system in the government departments.
A large number of workers of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf visited Peshawar from the far-flung areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and welcomed their leaders with the party anthems. A heavy contingent of police had been deployed at the venue which was just opposite to NA-4, the area where by-election is going to be held on October 26.
