Imran announces countrywide anti-govt drive from Aug 7

ISLAMABAD: Chairman of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Imran Khan has again decided to go on a solo flight as he announced on Wednesday the launching of a countrywide movement against corruption from August 7, saying if the prime minister could not be held accountable with regard to the PanamaLeaks, no other person could be probed.

Imran Khan told a media conference after consultations with party leaders and activists that they would hold a protest in front of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) headquarters on July 25 in Islamabad and then launch a nationwide movement from August 7.

He said NAB should have taken action after the Panama Papers’ details surfaced about the prime minister’s children. He said the movement would be called off if the government agreed on forming a commission according to the Terms of References (ToRs) formulated by the opposition regarding a probe into the Panama Papers. For the proposed movement, various committees would be formed at provincial level shortly.

The PTI chief again offered to be investigated according to the TORs that would be used to carry out an investigation against Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.About the massive reaction to his recent statement that the people would celebrate and distribute sweets if the military took over, Imran asserted he was not struggling for the last 20 years to get martial law imposed but to strengthen the roots of democracy in Pakistan.

The Panama Papers showed the prime minister’s three children – Hassan and Hussain and his daughter Maryam – had at least three offshore holding companies registered in the British Virgin Islands in their names.

The PTI chairman said if Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was not held accountable, no one could be investigated about the Panama Papers.“Anywhere in the world where the Panama Papers controversy had surfaced, investigations were carried out. But NAB is not investigating Nawaz Sharif,” Imran said and maintained that the government did not want accountability of the premier.

Imran pointed out that a protest would be held against NAB as it had failed to carry out an investigation against the government even after three months of the surfacing of the Panama Papers.He wondered under which laws NAB gave a clean chit to Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, saying there were different laws in the country for the rich and the poor.

“If the country faces a martial law, the PTI will be the political party that shall suffer the most because of it,” he said.He said when a coup was staged in the country during the previous tenure of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, the people were fed up with the government as it had failed to deliver and that was why they did not take to the streets.

The PTI chairman said that the coup in Turkey failed as the country’s leader worked for the welfare of his people and the country’s prosperity and lifted their standard of life.Imran Khan also announced that the party would start a fundraising campaign for the anti-government movement and all party members would be asked to contribute.He said the PTI had three million members and each member would be required to contribute Rs100.