U-turns merit of leaders: PM

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday said a leader who does not take “U-turns” according to the requirements of the situation is not a real leader.

During an interaction with journalists at the Prime Minister’s Office, the premier citing an example from his cricket days when he led Pakistan's national team said, "We used to make a strategy and then step out into the field but if the opponent team formed a strategy against ours, then we would have to change it."

Speaking to Geo News, senior journalist Mazhar Barlas, who attended the meeting with Imran Khan, said that the premier also referred to Adolf Hitler and Napoleon Bonaparte and said, “Hitler and Napoleon suffered huge defeats as they did not take U-turns.”

"If you are walking and there is a wall in front of you, then you will have to change and find another way," the senior journalist quoted the prime minister as explaining. "A leader who does not know how to take U-turns is not successful," Imran Khan added.

Imran further said, "What Nawaz Sharif did in court was not a U-turn but a lie." The premier vowed, "We will uphold the decisions taken by the Supreme Court." He also stressed, "There is a need for amendment in accountability laws."

Further, the senior journalist said that the premier's interaction with journalists mainly focused on the country's economic situation and accountability process. He said that they have received a big package from China but they are not announcing it, and added that other countries will start demanding more money from China. Chinese President Xi Jinping has asked the premier not to announce the amount, the senior journalist added.

Speaking about his recent trip to China, the prime minister said, “Concrete results of my visit are beginning to show. We are receiving all forms of aid from China and are satisfied. No other previous premiers’ tours to China were as successful as mine was,” he claimed.

Further, the premier was quoted as saying, "The next three to six months are difficult but from the next year onward our economic situation is going to improve significantly and we will be on the right track."

Regarding the ongoing money laundering probe and the foreign assets owned by Pakistanis, Imran said, “Wehave traced $15 billion that was sent to Dubai from Pakistan.” "Work is underway to bring back the looted wealth. We have also signed agreements with Britain and Switzerland," the prime minister said.

Speaking about the PTI decision on not giving the chairmanship of Public Accounts Committee to Shahbaz Sharif, the premier said, "Those facing corruption cases cannot be appointed PAC chairperson. We will not appoint Shahbaz Sharif as the PAC chairperson under any circumstances."

Imran Khan pledged that the government would soon unveil a comprehensive programme before the nation showing its 100-day achievements for future course of action in education, health, poverty alleviation and other vital sectors. He maintained that the government was focusing on four areas, including enhancing exports, promoting investment, boosting remittances and curbing money laundering for economic uplift of the country.

The prime minister said the first hundred days report assumes a significant importance in any government as it informs the people about the government's direction and future course of action. The premier said his government inherited a huge deficit of current and fiscal account and is endeavouring to overcome the financial crisis. He said the government decided to approach the friendly countries to deal with this situation and overcame this financial crunch and balance of payments issue.

Imran said that currently remittances worth 15 to 20 billion dollars are being received through legal channels, whereas almost the same amount is being channelised through illegal means including Hawala and Hundi. He said that expatriate Pakistanis are being facilitated to remit money through banking channels to enhance national revenues.

The prime minister said Pakistan offers vast investment opportunities in diverse sectors and it will be the government's priority to seek transfer of technology in these areas. The prime minister said that at present money is being laundered abroad to the tune of 10 billion dollars and the government is entering into agreements with the foreign countries to check this menace. He said the recent development of tracing the money stashed abroad to the tune of 700 billion rupees shows why the former rulers were seeking work permits. Imran Khan said the government has signed agreements with Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States to have information about the ill-gotten money stashed in these countries by Pakistanis.

Touching upon the state of national economy and the losses being incurred by the major national institutions, he said the circular debt in the power sector that was Rs400 billion in 2013 surged to Rs1,200 billion in 2018. He said that in gas sector, the current deficit is Rs150 billion, in PIA Rs400 billion, Pakistan Steel Mills Rs350 to 400 billion, Utility Stores Corporation Rs14 billion, while in Postal Services Rs9 billion.

The prime minister regretted that unfortunately no one ever made any effort to promote democracy in the country, rather kleptocracy was promoted, wherein the rulers abused their powers for their own vested interests. Special assistants to PM Iftikhar Durrani, Naeemul Haq, secretary to PM Sulaiman Azam Khan, Secretary Information Shafqat Jalil and Senator Faisal Javed were also present in the meeting.