close
Tuesday March 19, 2024

Allah his witness: ‘Ruthless accountability on the way’

By Asim Yasin   & Muhammad Anis
August 18, 2018

ISLAMABAD: PTI Chairman Imran Khan was on Friday elected as the 22nd prime minister of Pakistan, polling 176 votes amid loud uproar and sloganeering by the opposition Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) parliamentarians.

His opponent and PML-N President Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif bagged only 96 votes, as the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) — the second main opposition party — and Jamaat-e-Islami’s lone MNA in the National Assembly abstained from voting, ensuring a smooth sailing for Imran.

The PPP leadership had already announced its decision not to support Shahbaz Sharif. Soon after announcement of the result by Speaker Asad Qaiser, the PML-N parliamentarians burst into loud sloganeering, making Imran’s speech inaudible to the rest of members and visitors.

Speaking on the floor of the House soon after his election, Imran made a solemn pledge to Allah Almighty and the nation that no dacoit would get off the hook through an NRO (National Reconciliation Ordnance). Those who looted the state kitty would face strict accountability and imprisonment.

“First of all, those who looted the national exchequer and burdened the country with loans will have to face strict accountability,” he pledged. Constant sloganeering by the PML-N parliamentarians delayed Imran’s address to the House for around 30 minutes.

The chair had to suspend proceedings for 15 minutes. As the House resumed, Imran Khan used a headphone to deliver his speech. “Come hell or high water, the looters of national wealth will never get any NRO, nor will they get them off the hook,” he reiterated.

He promised [to the nation] that the PTI government would bring the desired change thatthey had been aspiring for over 70 years. “Neither was I brought up in the lap of a military dictator, nor was my father a politician. I reached this place because of my 22-year struggle,” he said.

“I am proud of a leader who struggled more than me and he is my hero Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah,” he said. Addressing the PML-N parliamentarians protesting the alleged rigging in elections, the prime minister-elect said even if they poured out on to the roads, he would not let them blackmail him, as nobody could blackmail him in the past nor anybody could do so in future.

Imran Khan also threw down the gauntlet to Shahbaz Sharif and JUI-F chief Fazlur Rehman to stage a dharna (sit-in) at the D-Chowk for a month. “This D-Chowk is in front of parliament, and I challenge you both to stage a sit-in there even for a month. We will provide you with a container, food and even send our people to the dharna,” he said.

As the opposition was planning to move the Supreme Court and Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) against the alleged rigging, Imran said his government was ready to fully cooperate with them.

“We will extend full cooperation to you to probe what you called rigging, because we know that no rigging took place in the elections,” he added. He reminded the opposition that following the rigging in 2013 elections, he had demanded that the results of just four constituencies be reopened, but his request was turned down, forcing him to move the courts.

“When our demand was accepted and an investigation held, a huge number of votes were found missing, but no action was taken against those responsible. Had an action been taken against those irregularities in the 2013 election, you might have trust in the present electoral system,” he said.

Imran regretted that when he was demanding the results for the four constituencies be re-opened, he was accused of dancing to the tune of Establishment. The prime minister-elect assured the House that during his tenure, the country would gain an exemplary electoral system, ensuring that future winners and losers would accept results.

He also assured the parliamentarians that parliament would be empowered and the prime minister would respond to questions during the Question-Hour in Parliament twice a month. He reiterated that those who burdened the country with debt, which had spiraled from Rs6,000 billion to Rs28,000 billion, would not be able to escape accountability.

“We will introduce a system to raise money from the country so that we don’t have to borrow from foreign countries.” Thanking the youth for their support to help him become the prime minister-elect, Imran said he would create jobs for them so that they would not have to go abroad to earn a living. “We are in the government because of your support and struggle,” Imran added.