US demanded air space and Pakistan agreed, says Fazl; Get worried, push Imran out: Shehbaz

MINGORA: Pakistan Democratic Movement PDM leader and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) President Shehbaz Sharif Sunday criticised Prime Minister Imran Khan and said he had destroyed the country.

Addressing a public rally at the Grassy Ground in the scenic Swat valley, he called upon the people to get worried and push Imran Khan out of power. PDM head Maulana Fazlur Rehman, Aftab Sherpao of Qaumi Watan Party, Mahmood Khan Achakzai of Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party, Prof Sajid Mir, Amir Muqam and others also addressed the gathering.

Shehbaz dispelled the impression that there was any rift among the political parties, which were part of the PDM. He asserted that the alliance was intact and its leadership united.

"Imran Khan used to say that he would end corruption from the country within 90 days after coming into power, but nothing has happened," said Shahbaz. He said the prime minister did not bother to come to the National Assembly. The PMLN leader said the country had plunged into record poverty and unemployment.

"Inflation has skyrocketed and Pakistan has never seen such a condition before," he said, adding that despite promising the construction of five million houses for the poor, not a single brick could be laid by the government.

"Imran Khan said he would create 10 million jobs but he has rendered hundreds of people jobless," he said. The PMLN leader also lauded the previous PMLN-led government and cited comparative statistics, adding that the "old Pakistan" was much better than the "Naya Pakistan".

Shehbaz criticised the PTI government for increasing the prices of wheat, petrol, and electricity and said that Imran Khan had brought the country to the brink of disaster. PDM head Maulana Fazlur Rahman, in his speech, alleged that the US had never asked Prime Minister Imran Khan for airbases rather they asked for the use of airspace and the government had allowed America to use it.

He said the 'unconstitutional' government would soon be sent packing as the nation was fed up with Imran Khan. Fazlur Rahman said the PDM's struggle would be continue until the ouster of the PTI government from power.

He added that this government was imposed on the nation. "Imran Khan is a spent cartridge, which is not reloaded into a gun," he remarked.

He commented that Imran Khan was the undemocratic part of the Pakistan's politics. The PDM president said that the Afghan Taliban were now in control of the 70 percent territory of Afghanistan. He alleged that Islamabad had strained relations with Kabul and Tehran due to flawed foreign policy.

"China invested more than $55 billion in Pakistan under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project, but this government has annoyed the Chinese government, therefore, Beijing chose Iran for making more investment," he alleged.

He added the government was trying to win over the clerics through money, but it would not succeed in its efforts. "Imran Khan has spent his entire life in Europe. He wants to implement the Western agenda. Niazi makes a statement, but takes a U-turn the second day," Maulana Fazlur Rahman said and urged the state agencies not to support the incumbent government.

Meanwhile, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Mahmood Khan termed the public gathering of Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) in Swat a complete flopped show and said that deaf ear to PDM call clearly reflects their confidence in the policies of the incumbent government.

In a statement issued here on Sunday, the chief minister said that worst political opponents of the past who always blamed each other for plundering the resources of the country, have now united just to save themselves from ruthless accountability being carried by the incumbent government.

He added that lack of public participation in the public meeting was clear message for PDM that not only Swat, the people across the province have outrightly rejected unjustified movement against the government.

Mahmood Khan stated that like first phase, the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa once again rejected the anti-government movement of PDM. He said that the opposition alliance has already met its fate much earlier when two of its major component parties parted their ways from it.

The chief minister said that PDM was an alliance of failed, rejected and corrupt politicians, who were trying to malign the government to avoid ruthless accountability. However, he made it clear that the across the board accountability would continue as it was on top of the agenda of Pakistan Tehreek-e Insaf government and the vision of Prime Minister Imran Khan.

He said anyone who had plundered national resources would be taken to task. Mahmood Khan further said that people of the province as well as the whole country had rejected the opposition parties as they had ruled the country turn by turn for about seven decades, but did nothing for the wellbeing of the masses.

Therefore, the people reposed full confidence in Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf in the last general election and will do the same in the next general elections too, he added. He said that Pakistan Tehreek-e Insaf and Prime Minister Imran Khan was the only ray of hope for the nation for having fully capability to steer the country out of crisis and make it a great nation.

The chief minister condemned the organisers of the PDM s public meeting for using the minor students of Mardassas for their political show after lack of participation by public and termed it as a shameful act on their part.