Sindh pharoah will soon ask why he is ousted: Imran

SUKKUR: PTI Chairman Imran Khan turned his guns towards PPP Co-chairman and former president Asif Ali Zardari on Friday. Addressing a large public gathering in Sukkur, Imran paid tributes to the crowd and praised them for showing up in huge numbers despite the sweltering heat.

The pharoahs of today are the reason you are suffering, he told the people of Sukkur. Imran slammed former president Asif Ali Zardari, saying that he had lied to the nation regarding the Surrey Palace issue.

He said that he defeated godfather on roads and very soon another pharoah in Sindh will ask why he is ousted, he said, adding Zardari said in the assembly that the Surrey Palace was not owned by him. "I promise you soon you will hear Zardari asking why he is disqualified."

He said that Zardari has looted Sindh's wealth. The money that was supposed to be spent on Sindh's education, water, law and, security was looted, he said, adding "you have to fight the people who looted your money."

We cannot succeed until we bring the big dacoits to justice, he said, adding, "We have to curb the rampant corruption in the country. We have to clean the country of corrupt people."

Imran said that Zardari had not indulged in as much corruption as Nawaz Sharif but nonetheless he had lied about the Surrey Palace. He said 21 years ago, the people of Sindh were more well-off than they were now today. Imran said that he had been caught up for the last year and a half in the Panama Papers case, hence he could not visit Sindh. "Now I will pay a visit to each and every city of Sindh," he said. "I will become more active in Sindh now and focus on it. The people of Sindh need Tabdeeli [change] the most.  We need to improve Sindh's police," he said.

Imran Khan also criticised former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, saying that the PML-N chief had not uttered a single word against US President Donald Trump after the American president had made an incendiary speech against Pakistan.

Nawaz is silent over Trump's speech because his wealth is also abroad, he said, adding, "I urge each and everyone of you not to vote for anyone whose wealth is not in Pakistan."

The cricketer-turned politician alleged that Nawaz Sharif was playing a dangerous game for the sake of his personal wealth. Imran stated that Nawaz Sharif was afraid his assets would be sealed if he went to jail.

He said Nawaz Sharif has been engaged in corrupt practices for the past 30 years. "You [Nawaz] lied to the court, you lied to parliament, you submitted forged documents to court, you destroyed the state's institutions and after all that you have the audacity to ask what you did wrong," remarked Imran Khan.

"Nawaz only cares about saving himself from jail. He knows once he is jailed, all his assets will be frozen. Just to protect his looted wealth, he is destroying the country s institutions," he added.

The whole country stands behind the Supreme Court and the Pakistan Army, he said. No institution is left in Pakistan except for these two, he added. Imran said that if a country's institutions were strong and on the right track, then even bombardment couldn't destroy that nation. "We want to bring meritocracy to Pakistan, improve the water situation and improve the steel mills among others," he said while sharing his party's agenda for the upcoming elections.

Imran Khan also highlighted the importance of addressing environmental issues during the address. "I want people from Switzerland to come and see how beautiful Pakistan really is." Addressing the rally, Sheikh Rasheed said: "We will not spare anyone who casts an evil eye towards Pakistan," adding the entire nation was standing along with the Pakistan Army.

PTI leaders Jahangir Tareen and Shah Mehmood Qureshi accompanied Chairman Imran Khan, who had earlier urged his supporters to attend the rally. Reports of baton charge at the site in order to control the rowdy crowd later emerged.