Hashmi says military is powerful because politicians are corrupt

HIGH WYCOMBE: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) President Makhdoom Javed Hashmi says military generals in Pakistan have become powerful because politicians lack credibility and honesty and that makes army generals look better in comparison.
He was addressing to businessmen and Pakistani community members at an event organised here by the leading Pakistani-origin chartered accountant Syed Faraz Ahmad.
Hashmi said that the PTI would like the army generals to face the same level of accountability as politicians. “There is no accountability of politicians and generals at the moment but politicians, with the exception of a handful, have no character and that has made military powerful. Pakistan needs genuine accountability and there is no alternative to this, we must adopt and welcome it.”
Hashmi praised Fakhruddin G Ibrahim for saying that delimitations are important and for identifying the factors which are behind electoral corruption.
Hashmi claimed that the PTI was set to “sweep elections.” “It’s not about a few seats. The scene in Pakistan has changed. Masses are more aware than ever before and they are fed up with the current system and they need change of faces as well as change of the system. The tsunami and clean sweep are realties, Pakistani youth and women from rural and urban areas are making it possible. I have fought about 15 elections myself and I have not seen the desire for change at this scale ever before.”
Hashmi told Pakistani community members that he didn’t regret working for Pakistan Muslim League-N. “I was not in PML-N to serve Nawaz Sharif. I fought all my life for democracy and the rule of law and stopped supporting anyone who went against the interests of Pakistan. I have always struggled for change and I joined Imran Khan for the same cause.”
Hashmi said that many people were leaving the PTI to join PML-N because they had been told, “tickets will be allotted on the basic of merit and everything will be done onboard and in a true democratic fashion, that clearly doesn’t suit some fair-weather types.
That’s why they are rushing to the parties of status quo where they see hope for their benefits.”
Syed Faraz Ahmad commented that the PTI was the most organised Pakistani political party at the moment in Britain and has most of its cadres consisting of middle class, educated and youth who are impressed by Imran Khan’s message of change. “As compared, Pakistan Muslim League-N and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) remain stuck in old style politics. “There has been no attempt to either recruit the youth from these parties as they know their message has no appeal for a new Pakistan.”
Speaking on this occasion Syed Israr Shah said that overseas Pakistanis were ready to invest billions in Pakistan but they didn’t trust the current system. “Overseas Indian and Chinese have helped the economies of their countries but it happens because they were assured that the system will not let them down. If Pakistan can do that then it doesn’t need to look elsewhere for aid. It has taken the party more than 16 years to build a clean image and that’s helpful.”