Agitation if all demands including cut in fuel price not accepted, warns Imran

‘Profit-making PIA and Pak Steel were first destroyed and then process for their privatisation was started’

DERA MURAD JAMALI: PTI Chairman Imran Khan on Sunday presented a five-point charter of demands threatening the government that he would take to the streets if his demands were not met.

Addressing a big rally here, he called for reduction in the prices of diesel, kerosene and petrol by Rs20 and Rs5 per liter respectively.

Imran said his second demand pertained to a reversal of infrastructure taxes on gas prices and the newly imposed taxes on electricity besides cutting electricity rates by Rs3 per unit.

He also called for making the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) a completely autonomous body as some Rs700 billion was stolen in the department annually.The third demand related to the prevailing PIA crisis.

“The PIA’s privatisation process should be stopped immediately. Moreover the government should appoint professionals to key institutions like the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) instead of favouring relatives of ministers,” he stressed.

Imran also asked the government to release funds for making payment to the employees of Pakistan Steel Mills (PSM) and other institutions who had not received their salaries for last five months.

He also urged the federal government to bring back the looted money from abroad. He also asked Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif and his sons to declare their assets both in the country and abroad.

He said Finance Minister Ishaq Dar had on record told the National Assembly that Pakistanis had some 200 billion dollars in banks abroad.Pakistani nationals, he said had bought property worth Rs650 billion in Dubai during the last two years.

“Nawaz’s son is living in a London flat Rs200 billion.From where this much money has come which the Pakistanis had spent aboard,” he questioned.He said the Nawaz government had taken some Rs5,000 billion loan during the last two and a half years.

Imran said if the government did not accede to his demands he would again be compelled to come on roads for their acceptance.Imran alleged that the government was looting national assets in the name of privatisation.“First the institutions were destroyed and then the process for their privatization was started. Both PIA and the Pakistan Steel were profitable organizations but they were destroyed.

Nawaz’s steel mill in Jeddah is running in profit while the Pakistan Steel Mill has been shut down,” he regretted.The PIA employees, he said had protested against the privatisation of their institution but bullets were fired on them.

Imran said the people of Balochistan had been deprived of their rights. He said natural gas was discovered at Sui but Quetta was provided the facility after a long time.Imran said his party would give all due rights to provinces whenever it came into power at the centre.

He said most areas of Balochistan were deprived of clean drinking water. He said construction of Katchi Canal was started in 1992 but it could not been completed till today.

He said the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project was good for the country’s progress but Nawaz Sharif was only giving favours to his relatives.

He said the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister was not taken into confidence but the prime minister was accompanied by his brother, nephew and other relatives while dealing with Chinese on the CPEC projects.

With the construction of Western Route of the CPEC the backward areas of the country would have been benefited but the prime minister first started building the Eastern Route only to benefit Lahore,” he alleged.

He regretted that the government had lost the opportunity to develop backward areas by not launching projects under the CPEC.

He said the Punjab government had obtained a loan of Rs200 billion for only 27 kilometer metro train.Imran promised to deliver rights of Baloch people after coming into power.He reiterated that unprecedented rigging had taken place in 2013 general elections.The rally was also addressed by PTI leaders Jahangir Tareen and Sardar Yar Muhammad Rind.