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Govt to give no chance for confrontation: Opposition yet to get my number, says PM Imran Khan

The opposition was endangering the lives of people by holding public meetings amid rapid spread of the coronavirus, said PM Imran Khan

By Mumtaz Alvi
December 08, 2020

Govt to give no chance for confrontation: Opposition yet to get my number, says PM Imran Khan

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan Monday made it clear that the opposition did not know him adding that even if they held 10 public meetings at the Minar-e-Pakistan, it would make no difference to the government. He was chairing a meeting of the government and ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) spokespersons here.

The meeting reviewed in detail the current key national issues with particular reference to the PDM’s politics of agitation. Imran contended that the opposition wanted a confrontation but neither the government would give them a chance nor would it stop their rally. However, he continued that cases would be filed against those providing services for the rally.

He emphasized that the opposition was endangering the lives of people by holding public meetings amid rapid spread of the coronavirus. He also reiterated his resolve that there would be no compromise on accountability even if the government had to go.

The prime minister said the opposition were using all their energies to remove him from power. According to Geo News, the Punjab government spokesperson Firdous Ashiq Awan’s football kick, viral on social media, and judo were also mentioned during the meeting.

The prime minister reportedly acknowledged the fact that Firdous Ashiq Awan had become very active after going to the Punjab adding that the ‘PTI needs the same passion’. Meanwhile, addressing a ceremony at the Anti-Narcotics Force Headquarters in Rawalpindi after inaugurating its new building, the prime minister announced to launch a countrywide anti-drug campaign and said drugs and corruption could not be fought successfully unless the society collectively fought to get rid of them, being the biggest deterrent. He said until the society considered corrupt people bad, neither NAB nor the justice system could do away with this menace.

“The evil and corruption spreading in the society can be eradicated only when the entire society rises against them,” he remarked.

“The greatest misfortune of our society is that we havegiven respect to those who make money through illicit methods and drugs.”

He said drugs were not taken seriously in our country before. “They thought our country was not being harmed but God's law is that whenever you allow something in your society that Allah has forbidden, it cannot be that it does not harm your society.

People who made money from drugs were not considered bad by the society. Everyone knew that this person made a lot of money from drugs but because he made money, it was acceptable to the society.”

The biggest misfortune of our society, he said, was that we gave respect to the people in the society who were making money through illicit methods and drugs, which ultimately was to the detriment of the society.

“The money coming from drugs also harmed Pakistan. That money was used for wrongdoing, corruption increased, politicians used it to support wrong political campaigns, many people won elections with such money and they also provided protection to such people,” he argued.

Imran regretted that today there were seven million drug addicts in Pakistan. “New Zealand's population is half of that. Singapore does not have as much population and other countries too. This means, in Pakistan, seven million families of these drug users are facing torrid times,” he said.

“If a drug addict enters a house, he destroys the whole house. If a father is addicted to drugs, he destroys the lives of his wife and children,” he continued. Imran said drug addiction was not cared about and it was a silent killer adding that people did not talk much about it and the society did not realize the importance of how it was spreading like a cancer in the society.

The prime minister said now the most dangerous thing was 'synthetic drug' i.e. ice that was spreading in schools. “Earlier, we would hear about the use of drugs in universities but now it is also found in schools. Ice addiction has spread in schools. A schoolchild cannot study properly if he is addicted to drugs because the first thing these do to you is to destroy your discipline and then change a person's personality because he cannot struggle for life while it also has a bad effect on his health.”

He said if the younger one started doing the drugs, then it was harder to quit adding that not only the ANF, but also the whole society will have to fight this silent killer. He emphasized that the police alone could never fight crime. “Law enforcement agencies do not fight crime alone, but a society fights crime.”

He said there was corruption in Singapore too but its Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew first targeted corruption. “When a minister was caught in corruption after his 15 years as prime minister, he committed suicide. He did it because he understood that he no longer had a place in that society. Likewise, there was a billionaire in America, Bernie Maddox. When his corruption was caught and he went bankrupt, one of his sons committed suicide. The other son also suffered from stress and died.

I want the whole society to fight this cancer of drugs. I will form a council and call all the ministries next week and ask them to play their role in this regard and create awareness, including the Education Ministry and Health Ministry”.

Imran said a whole program would be chalked out on narcotics because the biggest threat from it was to the youth and ‘we have to save our next generation from it’. Imran said now there would be a nationwide movement against drugs and he would convene a meeting next week after which the whole country would fight against it.

Imran recalled that when the Afghan jehad was going on, it was heard for the first time that drugs were coming to Pakistan and going forward and at that time none took it seriously. “People thought it was not harming Pakistan, while money was coming. There was no motivation as well. Allah has His own law. And it was the biggest misfortune that those involved in corruption and drugs were made acceptable and given respect,” he said.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Imran Khan called for taking all necessary steps to further improve the energy sector, directing all stakeholders in the sector to fulfill their responsibilities within the stipulated time. To this effect, he chaired a review meeting on the energy sector reforms.

Federal Ministers Hammad Azhar, Senator Shibli Faraz, Asad Umar, Umar Ayub Khan, Advisors Abdul Razak Dawood and Hafeez Sheikh, Special Assistants Nadeem Babar, Tabish Gohar and other senior officials attended the meeting.

The meeting was briefed on the administrative matters related to the energy sector, cost of power generation and transmission system. Imran directed that a system be devised to ensure that subsidies were only available to the poor and deserving people.

Separately, Prime Minister Imran Khan presided over a meeting on setting up of Coastal Oil Refinery by Parco. Federal Minister for Energy Omar Ayub Khan, Special Assistant Nadeem Babar and senior officials were also present on the occasion.

The meeting was informed that installation of the terminal would begin within the next six months. In addition, work on the refinery will begin a year later.

Imran said the addition of Parco Refinery was very welcome for the petroleum sector. He further said the project completion would improve the capacity of oil refineries at the national level enabling them to manufacture petroleum products at the local level.