Rain has exposed ‘Paris’, says Imran

LAHORE: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan Tuesday said a single rain had exposed those who were claiming to have turned Lahore into Paris.

He said 57 per cent of Rs635 billion development budget of Punjab had annually been spent on Lahore alone, and "Now I am going to check whether this hefty amount of around Rs350 billion had been spent on Lahore and this city was really turned into Paris".

During his visit to rain-affected areas of the city, he said situation of Lahore could have been different had the public money been spent on the city honestly. Imran said that Shahbaz Sharif used to say that he would also make Peshawar and Karachi, Lahore like Paris, asserting that people had now come to know the reality of hollow claims of the past rulers.

The PTI chairman said that Sharif brothers had transformed nothing into Paris but their farm houses of Jati Umra, citing that Sharif family had purchased lands there at lowest price and developed it with people’s tax money instead of spending their own resources.

To a question, he said that entire Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa development budget was Rs110 billion and Lahore alone had been getting Rs350 billion annually, adding that people must know that out this Rs350 billion, the past ruler had spent on how many public schools up-gradation and how many universities had been established; how many people had been provided clean drinking water. Unlike Lahore, roads and streets of Paris did not submerge in rainwater and it had advanced drainage system.

People must also assess the quality of roads and other infrastructures constructed by the past government. Contrary to this, an international university of applied science was being established in Haripur (KP) with the collaboration of Austria, he mentioned. Imran said that upcoming general election would be a great opportunity for the people to get rid of those Pharaohs looting and plundering the country’s recourse and public money for the last 30 years.

He visited Lakshami Chowk, GPO Chowk and other low-lying areas of the metropolis, that were completely submerged due to over 250mm rain in the city. He criticised Pakistan Muslim League-N leadership for wasting billions of rupees “on unnecessary projects”. During his visit to city areas, he was flanked by central leader Jehangir Khan Tareen, PTI candidate from NA-125 Dr Yasmin Rashid, head of Tehreek-e-Insaf Central Punjab chapter Abdul Aleem Khan and others.

Imran said Shahbaz Sharif remained chief minister of Punjab for 10 years but failed to give an efficient sewerage system to Lahore. He said Tehreek-e-Insaf had always opposed the ‘show-off’ projects, but Sharif brothers had no concern about the public issues. Their total attention is on minting money and getting commission on projects and plundering the national wealth.

He said the former CM was not mustering up courage to face the public in this situation, as he had spent the public money on his own publicity and unnecessary projects.

Abdul Aleem Khan, the PTI candidate from NA-129, while addressing a gathering in his constituency meanwhile, predicted another defeat for the PML-N on Friday when the court would announce its verdict about the Sharif family.

APP adds: Addressing the media after arriving in Karachi, as a part of his ongoing election campaign, Imran Khan said that the General Election falling on July 25 would be ideological as the political parties would have to explain to the voter the ideology behind asking for the vote.

Imran said that it was important to keep ground realities in consideration while electing a new party into power. He said that after the water crisis came to the fore, people are worried about the water woes.

“People used to mock us for the Billion Tree Tsunami project, but now they know,” said Imran. He said that the PTI manifesto would also focus on environmental issues and how to conserve more water and grow plants. The PTI chairman is scheduled to tour different areas of the metropolis during his two-day visit.

"He will also lay the foundation stone of an orphanage in Memon Goth," a party spokesperson said. Imran Khan Tuesday took to Twitter to post a message for “all those Pakistanis who are intending not to vote in the coming historical [sic] elections on July 25”. "A man who stands for nothing will fall for anything", the PTI chairman said quoting assassinated American-Muslim activist Malcolm X.

Later during the day, former prime minister Nawaz Sharif's daughter, Maryam Nawaz, responded to Imran's tweet.

"What do you stand for? Khalayi Makhlooq (aliens)? Conspiracies? Umpire ki ungli (Umpire's finger)? [Senate chairman] Sadiq Sanjrani? Dictations? Sponsored dharnas [rallies]? Sponsored politics?" she asked the PTI chairman.