Chances of military intervention to fizzle out if corruption, rigging stopped: Imran

Says PM’s ailment has created crisis in Pakistan; sees monarchy in PML-N

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan said on Sunday that the chances military intervention would fizzle out if corruption and electoral rigging were eliminated from Pakistan.

In an interaction here with a delegation of the office-bearers of the National Press Club headed by its president Shakil Anjum here, Imran believed that the prime minister’s no to a demand for his resignation and his ailment had created a crisis in Pakistan. He maintained that Pakistan could not be run in the absence of the chief executive and added that this matter would be raised in the upcoming session of the Parliament.

Imran was of the view that democracy failed to take roots in Pakistan, because elections were always held, but democratic attitude could not be created. The PTI chairman made it clear that if the democratic system was packed up, then Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif would be responsible for it. 

“In a democratic rule, rulers are accountable to people, whereas in dictatorship, rulers think they are above accountability,” Imran said. He added that poor nations were suffering due to the transfer of wealth abroad by the rulers.

About the PML-N, he said the ruling party could not win election without the backing of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP). “The PML-N has started buying conscience of the police, administration, journalists and even judges and other segments of the society,” he alleged.

Regarding the PTI’s demand for investigation into the offshore companies of Sharif family, as reflected in the PanamaLeaks, he said that they reserved the right take to roads, if justice was not provided to them. He alleged that instead of presenting themselves for accountability, the rulers were lying to people regarding their offshore assets.

Imran claimed the media had created tremendous awareness among people and even schoolchildren were politically aware. The PTI chairman charged that there was monarchy in the ruling PML-N and giving the charge of running the government to the prime minister’s close relative Finance Minister Ishaq Dar was a classic example of monarchy in the party. He also took Information Minister Senator Pervaiz Rashid to task for allegedly misleading public on Panama Papers issue.