PDM holds power show in Bannu: Those sincere with govt are traitors, says Fazlur Rehman

BANNU: Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman on Wednesday said that anyone who is sincere to the government is a traitor.

The JUI-F chief said that the government has asked him to "surrender before the National Accountability Bureau (NAB)".

"My ancestors have never bowed before anyone. Our struggle is for the sake of democracy and the implementation of law in the country," Fazlur Rehman said while addressing a public gathering here at the Ziad Durrani Sports Complex.

Condemning the recent killings of the coalminers in Balochistan, Fazlur Rehman questioned the claims of the government about the restoration of peace. The JUI-F leader maintained that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government caused colossal damage to the country’s economy. “The growth of the economy has gone down below zero percent,” he maintained.

He said that Prime Minister Imran Khan deceived the youth. “Where are the 10 million jobs,” he asked, adding, the premier had admitted that he was unprepared to govern the country.

Fazlur Rehman said the purchasing power of the have-nots had been eroded due to the flawed economic policies of the government.

He said the previous government of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) had improved the economy and launched the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project, but the PTI rulers reversed all the gains due to their incompetence.

The Maulana said the prime minister was imposed on the country to damage its economy and ruin the peace. “If the armed forces rendered sacrifices for the restoration of peace, so did the nation,” he argued.

The PDM chief said the country’s relations were strained with Saudi Arabia and other friendly countries. He said the country’s economy was earlier in good shape and India, China, Iran and Central Asian Republics wanted to boost trade relations with Pakistan, but the “inept” government reversed the gains made by the previous government.

The Maulana said that even Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka and Bhutan were moving ahead while Pakistan had lagged far behind when it came to development and prosperity. He said the powers that be should no more interfere with the electoral system.

The Maulana said that a demonstration would be held outside the Election Commission of Pakistan on January 19 to protest the inordinate delay in deciding the foreign funding case of the PTI. He declared that he would not allow the government to deprive the provinces of provincial autonomy.

Other leaders of the PDM also addressed the public meeting and came down hard on the PTI government after accusing it of failing to properly govern the country and causing immense difficulties to the masses during its over two and half year rule.

Deputy Secretary-General of the PML-N, Ahsan Iqbal, said the people’s mandate will have to be respected to keep the country united and strengthen the national cohesion.

“The country’s security is linked to peace and a strong economy,” he said while enumerating several mega development projects which were launched by the last PML-N government for the progress of the country and welfare of the masses.

Ahsan Iqbal condemned the recent killing of coalminers in Balochistan. “The aggrieved people are protesting in Quetta with the bodies of their slain loved ones but (Prime Minister) Imran Khan is sitting in Islamabad because he is a rejected ruler,” he added.

The PML-N stalwart said that the Indus Highway project was supposed to be completed by 2019, but

it could not be executed due to the non-release of funds.

He deplored that the western route of CPEC has yet to be completed. “It would have been completed if the PML-N had been in power,” he claimed.

Ahsan Iqbal said Prime Minister Imran Khan was repeating the mantra that he would not give the NRO in order to hide his own incompetence. He said the prime minister was hiding from the courts in the foreign funding case of the PTI.

He complained that the case against former prime minister Nawaz Sharif was decided in one month while the foreign funding case of the PTI could not be decided in six years.

The PML-N leader said the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa rendered sacrifices for the restoration of peace as bomb blasts took place in the province on a daily basis. He reminded that it was his party’s government which launched the National Action Plan to defeat terrorism.

He said the PML-N government brought an end to electricity loadshedding and revived the economy.

The PML-N leader criticised the prime minister for not visiting the protesting families of the coalminers who were recently killed in Baluchistan. He said that the premier was incompetent as he could not honour a single pledge.

The JUI-F deputy secretary general, Akram Khan Durrani, in his address said the people of Bannu district by turning in large number at the public meeting had said no to the “rejected” PTI government.

Durrani, who hails from Bannu and is a former chief minister, said the people of KP would stand by the PDM to bring an end to the PTI rule.

Durrani said that people from all walks of life were compelled to stage protests against the government for its “ill-conceived” policies. He demanded the prime minister to step down by January 31 or else they would march towards Islamabad.

Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party head Mahmood Khan Achakzai, Pakistan People’s Party’s Farhatullah Babar, PML-N leader Amir Muqam, Awami National Party leader Ameer Haider Khan Hoti and others addressed the gathering as well.