Govt to go if PM does not allow his accountability: Imran

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan said Monday said that if Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif did not let himself searched, then instead of him the entire government will have to go, adding that the PTI will start locking down the federal capital on November 2 afternoon instead of the previously announced date of October 30.

Talking to media persons after chairing a detailed and brainstorming meeting of the PTI here, Imran cautioned they were ready for whatever course of action the government would adopt. “We will remain peaceful, if they will be,” he asserted. Imran went on to allege that a criminal was the prime minister of the country. He added Nawaz Sharif’s corruption and stolen money had been revealed in the Panama Papers.

Imran vowed that they would stay put in the federal capital until the prime minister would resign. On the possibility of his confinement before the lockdown, he warned the government to be mindful of the reaction.

He criticised Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari for giving ultimatum of December 27 for the acceptance of his demands, alleging it meant, the people should forget about PanamaLeaks. “In that case, you will not be needed to come out, as by that time, either we will achieve success or will see what happens. The December 27 deadline indicates a muk-muka between the PML-N and PPP,” he charged.

Imran urged the people of Islamabad to brace for discomfort and asked the people to come out and join PTI’s protest, otherwise, the system of loot and plunder would persist and the rulers were also preparing their children to rule them.

The PTI chief maintained that the prime minister had two options: To step down or present himself for accountability or ‘get searched’, adding that they were prepared to go to the last limit for his accountability.

He said the PTI had tried its best for investigation into the PanamaLeaks with regards to the prime minister and his family but all the state institutions appeared to be looking for pretext instead of Nawaz Sharif’s accountability, who had been caught red-handed, involved in corruption. Imran said that they had seen the game of TORs and also the Public Accounts Committee vis-a-vis PanamaLeaks as well as Parliament, which also evinced on interest in their demand of probe. 

Imran lamented that when they raised their voice and agitated for accountability, it was alleged that the PTI wanted to halt the pace of prosperity and the CPEC, and as if we were inviting the army to step in.

The PTI chairman pointed out that the Supreme Court had itself observed about the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) that only small (corrupt) were nabbed while the big, involved in billions of corruption were spared. He added that the chief justice of the Supreme Court had also said that in the name of democracy, monarchy was in vogue in Pakistan.

Imran claimed that they had been hearing that the government was considering crackdown on their planned peaceful programme and added: “I want to give a clear warning to the government that this is not the party of 2014. You will be at loss. Your government will go in reaction, whereas what we are demanding is that either the prime minister should resign or present himself for accountability.”

The PTI chairman made it clear that they were demanding accountability of the prime minister, as the flats in London were purchased in 1990s and at that time and they were in the name of his daughter, who was dependent and had no source of income. “Likewise, if these were bought in 2005, then Nawaz Sharif had no source of income at that time. Naturally, he had resorted to money-laundering,” he alleged.

He said that despite the ban on establishment of new sugar mills and the stay order by the Lahore High Court, the Sharifs had got permission for setting up five new sugar mills in the name of their relocation in cotton-growing areas.

Imran alleged that Nawaz Sharif and Asif Ali Zardari appeared to be on one platform not to let accountability of each other done and recalled how Zardari had talked about the Attock jail full of tissues with tears of Nawaz. He added that in the game of democracy, the country was being bankrupted through loans.

He billed the Sharif family a corrupt mafia, with its people in every state institution, even in the judiciary and the Election Commission. Imran said it was high time to rid the country of corrupt mafia or let Pakistan slide into complete destruction. 

Earlier, he said: “After lengthy deliberations it has now finally been decided that we will move ahead with our plan to lock Islamabad down on November 2. We have changed the date as the Supreme Court Bar Association’s elections are scheduled on Oct 31.”

Imran said the ‘Raiwind March’ gave the prime minister ample time till Muharram to either present himself for accountability or allow state institutions to take action against him, failing which the PTI will bring the federal capital to a standstill. “Six months have gone past but a ‘criminal’ continued to rule this country,” Imran said about Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.  He again asked party workers to contribute at least Rs100 for the planned programme.