Imran gives 11-point election manifesto

LAHORE: Announcing an 11-point election manifesto to safeguard Pakistan against corruption, abuse of power and injustice, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan urged the nation on Sunday to stand by him in the struggle to materialise the dream of “one Pakistan”.

“Whenever I gave a call, you never disappointed me. Therefore, today I pledge that I’ll stand by the nation till the last drop of blood,” said the PTI chairman while addressing a big public gathering at the Greater Iqbal Park here. He told the crowd that “it was time to think big, time to change their destiny and time to build a new Pakistan.”

Talking of menace of corruption in the country, the PTI chairman asked the crowd if they had ever heard of any party expelling its parliamentarians over corruption. “But I expelled 20 MPAs of my party over corruption,” he added. “They swore on holy book (about their innocence), but you come to me and I will show you the evidence.”

In his nearly two hours long address, Imran made 11 pledges with the nation in the form of his election manifesto including a uniform education system, launching of a health card scheme, elimination of corruption, improving the tax culture, self-sustainability of Pakistan, generating employment opportunities, strengthening of the federation, creation of southern Punjab pledges with the nation in the form of his election manifesto including a uniform education system in the country, launching of a health card scheme, elimination of corruption, improving the tax culture, self-sustainability of Pakistan, generating employment opportunities, strengthening of federation, creation of southern Punjab province as a new administrative unit, bringing reforms in police, boosting investment and tourism, strengthening agriculture sector by imposing an agriculture emergency, and protecting women population.

Imran Khan told the gathering that Quaid-e-Azam struggled to achieve a Pakistan based on the principles of Islam and justice, but unfortunately, for multiple reasons, it could not be run as per the ideology of the Founder of the Nation.

Narrating his personal experience behind setting up the cancer hospital and later entering the politics, Imran said he very closely saw how rich and poor were treated in West and in Pakistan. He said in England while he was busy in attending his mother, who was undergoing cancer treatment, he saw a woman who couldn’t afford the cost of the treatment, but she was being treated in the same way the hospital administration was dealing with the patients who were paying the fee.

He said in Pakistan, he saw different situation for the same patients after which he initially made efforts to build a cancer hospital and then entered politics to bring bout a change in the lives of people.

Drawing a comparison between the treatment being meted out to Pakistani rulers at present with that of the past, Imran said once President Ayub Khan visited the USA, he was accorded a warm welcome by his counterpart. But now, the head of the country was body searched at the Airport by the US authorities.

Imran Khan also voiced serious concerns over the volume of foreign loans which, according to him, had multiplied under the Nawaz government. He said the rulers had pushed the country towards disasters.

Relating his 11-point agenda that would be implemented if the PTI comes to power, Imran started with education and promised to provide education of equal quality to the children of the rich and poor.

He said it was a matter of concern that 2.5 crore children in Pakistan had no school. He pledged to change the situation all together after coming to power.  

2. Health: Imran Khan vowed to introduce a health insurance system modelled on the 'Sehat Sahulat' card in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa for the poor across Pakistan under which a citizen could get health facilities to the tune of Rs500,000."

3. Revenue generation: Imran vowed to create a very vibrant system of generating revenue to ensure Pakistan attaining self sufficiency.  

4. Corruption: Vowing to empower institutions like National Accountability Bureau (NAB), Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), Imran Khan said that the PTI would ensure country was purged of corruption. Citing the example of 20 MPAs of his party facing corruption changes, Imran said party had complete proofs of their corruption.  

5. Investment: Imran termed the overseas Pakistanis the biggest investing potentials for the country and resolved to bring investments into Pakistan.

We will reduce tax on electricity and gas for our industries so that they could compete with Indian market, he said.  

6. Employment: Promising the youth much better employment opportunities, Imran said he would especially focus on boosting the tourism industry of Pakistan.  

7. Agriculture: Imran said he would impose an agriculture emergency in the country to improve the farm sector and the lives of farmers about whom nobody was thinking seriously. He also promised to protect sugarcane growers from sugar mill mafia.  

8. Federation: Vowing to strengthening federation, Imran said the PTI would create south Punjab province as an administrative unit, merge Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) into Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, strengthen local government system and hold direct elections for the slot of mayor.  

9. Environment: Imran said environment was a priority on the party's manifesto and 10 million trees would be planted throughout the country to protect the environment. He also expressed regret over the fact that Lahore had been declared one of the most polluted cities of the world.

He also said the PTI would ensure proper cleaning of rivers, canals.  

10. Police & justice system: He stressed the importance of justice and the police systems and claimed that like the KP police, the force in Punjab would also win applauds from the nation and would be completely depoliticised.  

11. Women: Imran promised to educate women of Pakistan and ensure protection of their inheritance rights.