PDM is hatching conspiracies: Name an issue where army backing me, says PM Imran Khan

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday said the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) was part of a conspiracy against him and the armed forces, and asked the opposition to cite an example where the military has transgressed from its powers and backed the government.

He said he doesn’t interfere in any institution, and the government enjoys exemplary relations with the military because the latter knows that he is not corrupt and working for the betterment of the country. “The military will stand with any prime minister who works for Pakistan’s betterment,” he said while talking to a private news channel.

The prime minister said the military wants to see a strong Pakistan under a patriotic government that has no stakes outside the country. He said any nation that goes under heavy debt loses independence in its foreign policy and its sovereignty, which no military would ever want.

The prime minister said the recent report by EU DisinfoLab has exposed the PDM leaders, as those media outlets which target Pakistan with fake propaganda are also backing the PDM. “They both have the same agenda; attack Imran Khan and the Pakistan Army,” the premier said.

Imran Khan said the country is facing an international conspiracy targeting the Pakistan Army, with PDM leaders taking part in it by directly attacking the country’s top military brass. He said that the opposition is in a fix because it has failed to prove any rigging in the election and is facing a prime minister who is not prepared to give them an NRO, unlike General (R) Musharraf. The prime minister reassured that short of accountability, he is willing to discuss any issue with the opposition.

Imran Khan said the corrupt opposition cannot run campaign for public as their entire movement is for NRO. He said he never made excuses of not being prepared, but talked about being briefed before assuming office as the prime minister.

To a question whether he was aware of the situation of the country when he claimed to turning the fate of the country after becoming PM, the prime minister said: “I was fully aware of the country’s crisis. I have told in my previous interviews that there were no easy solutions to the country’s problem. The country was under the debt of 6,000 billion in 60 years but the debt reached to 30,000 billion during the last 10 years of the previous governments.”

Clarifying his statement regarding his preparation, Imran Khan said that his statement was taken in wrongly and he had given an example of the US president-elect Joe Biden who was being given briefing by every government department regarding their situation and when he would assume office, his entire team would be ready to tackle the challenges being faced by their ministries.

“A newly elected government should be given at least four weeks to get briefings from govt departments so better preparation to govern the country,” he said. The prime minister said after 17 years, Pakistan’s current account balance has been positive for the last five months, adding that the country’s exports and imports have also increased while remittances have also increased due to the benefits given by the state bank.

Responding to a question regarding forming a coalition government, the PM said that he had said in his interviews in the past that he would prefer to sit on the opposition benches than to form a coalition government with the Pakistan Peoples’ Party (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N). “We had to form a coalition government in KP but the province that never gave anyone another chance to rule, gave the PTI another chance,” he said.

PM Imran Khan said that accountability would have been difficult had they forged an alliance with the PPP or the PML-N who had ruled the country for over 35 years. "It becomes easy for a prime minister to run the government if he gets a presentation before assuming it," he added.

The prime minister said that his quarrel was with the terrorist MQM founder and there was no enmity with the MQM if it had dissociated itself from its founder.

To a question if he is satisfied with the team, their performance and reshuffling in the cabinet, the prime minister said that changes in the cabinet or bureaucracy becomes irrelevant whether Imran Khan raised the living standard of the people and his goal is to raise the living standard of the public, eradicate poverty, improve justice system during his five year tenure. He said the people would tell about the government performance on economy after completion of five years tenure.

The PM said that corrupt public office holders should receive harsher punishments as compared to civilians and businessmen as they are guilty of abusing their power. He said that when the head of a government is corrupt, it has a trickledown effect which allows his subordinates to also become corrupt.

Talking about the performance of National Accountability Bureau (NAB), Imran Khan said that the cases against opposition leaders were not made during his tenure. Even leaders of his own party, including Aleem Khan and Subtain Khan were put behind bars by NAB. He said that his government does not interfere in the matters of NAB or the judiciary because it believes in strengthening institutions and making them autonomous.

Meanwhile, Imran Khan spent the first evening of 2021 at the Tarnol Islamabad Shelter with the poor and deserving. Special Assistant for Poverty Alleviation and Social Protection Dr Sania Nishtar, MD Baitul Mal Aoun Abbas and Turkish Ambassador Ehsan Mustafa Erdakul were also present on the occasion.

The prime minister inaugurated a 100-bed shelter in Tarnol in collaboration with the Baitul Mal and the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism. Breakfast and dinner will also be provided at the shelter. The shelter also has 10 separate beds exclusively for women. Since the establishment of Tarnol Shelter, the total number of shelters in Islamabad has increased to five. He said no one will sleep hungry in Pakistan under his government.

Prime Minister also visited the TeleHealth Kiosk from EZ Shifa, set up in the shelter, where he was informed that the doctors present here provide free medical check-ups to patients under the supervision of more than 500 doctors around the world.

Meanwhile, the prime minister said that smuggling was causing irreparable damage to the country's economy. He said anti-smuggling measures will increase revenues that can be spent on the welfare of the poor.

Prime Minister directed that strict measures be taken against the elements involved in smuggling. He was chairing a meeting on anti-smuggling measures. Meanwhile, Iman Khan said the year 2021 will be a year of development.

“What we have experienced in the last two years, especially the last year experience, we are, God willing, now ready to face all kinds of challenges. We will formulate a business-friendly policy in 2021 and we will spend the wealth created to lift the people out of poverty,” he said while addressing here a ceremony in connection with the introduction of new vehicles in the country, which would be manufactured from March. He added that more joint ventures would be done with Chinese firms.

The premier said Pakistan can learn best from any country, it was China, because their model of development would be the best for Pakistan.