Nawaz Sharif defaming institutions, says Imran

DAGGAR: Threatening to come on the roads to save the country, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan on Sunday said former prime minister Nawaz Sharif was defaming the country’s institutions.

Speaking at a public rally in Buner, the PTI chief alleged that the money of Pakistanis was stolen and spent abroad on the luxurious lives of the rulers. He said he would not let Nawaz Sharif destroy the country. Imran Khan said that money laundering had destroyed the social structure that had resulted in more poverty in Pakistan. He said the only solution to the problem was introduction of merit-based system in the country.

“Nawaz Sharif destroyed all institutions of Pakistan. He has started propaganda campaign against the army and judiciary to hide his own misdeeds,” he remarked. Imran said the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) were two sides of the same coin that was why they were not speaking against each other. He said the existing system has ensured their hereditary politics where the masses could be political workers and the rulers and their offspring would remain the rulers.

The PTI chief said the ruling party leaders had launched a tirade against the judiciary and other institutions in a bid to save Nawaz Sharif. “We will again launch protest if a safe passage is given to Nawaz Sharif,” he added.

The PTI chairman said the country’s resources could have provided relief to the masses but the rulers transferred the money to their foreign bank accounts abroad. Criticising Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, the PTI chief said the incumbent premier take orders from a deposed premier. “The puppet prime minister should be ashamed of allowing a disqualified person to lead his party,” Imran said.

Imran also criticised Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman for “playing on both sides of the wicket”. The PTI chief alleged that the JUI-F leader could be bought for a diesel permit. He added that Finance Minister Ishaq Dar’s father would run a shop of cycles while his son had amassed enormous wealth.

Imran Khan said that if voted to power, his government would provide health cards to 100 million Pakistanis in four years. “The people of Buner have decided to vote for the PTI in the 2018 elections,” he said while pointing to the huge crowd. “The mission of Naya Pakistan will be completed after the 2018 elections,” he added.

The PTI leader said Nawaz Sharif and Asif Zardari were doing politics to promote own interests, while the PTI was committed to protecting masses’ interests. Imran said that poverty in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had been reduced by 50 percent as compared to other parts of Pakistan. He said the Sehat Insaf Cards had helped alleviate the poverty in KP.

On the occasion, Jamaat-e-Islami Member National Assembly Sher Akbar Khan’s brother Farooq Akbar Khan and former MPA Jamshed Khan announced joining the PTI.

Addressing the gathering, Chief Minister Pervaiz Khattak said that they had made KP a model for other provinces. “This gathering of thousands of people shows the trust of public in the policies of the provincial government,” he went on to say.

Pervaiz Khattak said that they had honoured almost all pledges made with the people during the electioneering. “The reforms introduced by the provincial government have started yielding results. The hospitals and schools have been transformed. And merit is being followed in all government departments,” he maintained.