ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Sunday called opposition leaders “corrupt” and said if he lost his government or his life, he would never forget them.
The prime minister was speaking at one of the ‘biggest’ rallies in his party’s history at the Parade Ground in Islamabad as the opposition prepared to oust the prime minister through the motion of censorship, whose session is scheduled to take place tomorrow (Monday).
At the start of his address, the Prime Minister thanked the jalsa participants for responding to his call and gathered in Islamabad from all parts of the country. The Prime Minister also congratulated his team for organizing the jalsa.
“I pay tribute to my team and to the nation [for making this jalsa possible]. Thank you for making me happy,” he said. “Today I’m going to have a heart-to-heart conversation with the nation.”
The Prime Minister, while responding to criticism that he used religious references during his political speeches, said when he joined politics 25 years ago it was in the name of Pakistan’s ideology .
“Nations are built on ideologies, and the ideology on which Pakistan came into existence was Islam,” he said. The Prime Minister then added that he had learned from his experience of living in the West that the true teachings of Islam were followed there instead of in Pakistan.
“I discovered the concept of the welfare state after living in the UK,” he said. “This was exactly the model on which the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) established the state of Medina.”
He said Muslims ruled the world for a long time as they followed in the footsteps of the Holy Prophet (PBUH).
“Based on these ideals, I envisioned a welfare state in Pakistan and Alhamdulillah, we have already started a journey down this path. I am proud of the fact that we have introduced a health system in the country based on the principles of well-being.
The Prime Minister went on to commend his government’s efforts on the Ehsaas scheme, providing housing loans to the poor and providing a Rs 250 billion grant to reduce petrol and fuel prices. electricity.
“Today I assure you that as I will continue to collect money through taxes, I will use this money for the good of the country.”
“InshaAllah, once we complete our five-year term, history will show that no other government has worked as hard as the PTI government. [for the development of the country].
Mocking the opposition, the Prime Minister denounced their “corruption” and said these thieves have continued to save themselves using the National Reconciliation Order (NRO) for the past 30 years.
“These three rats [opposition bigwigs] have been plundering the country for three decades and these three have been trying to destabilize my government since day one,” he said.
Prime Minister Imran Khan said it was because of former President General Musharraf that these corrupt politicians got away with their misdeeds through the NRO.
“Musharraf threw the country into turmoil by giving NRO to these corrupt leaders just to save his own government,” he said. “Whether I lose my government or my life, I will never forgive them.”
He said the opposition had pledged to send the government packing, saying the country was undergoing turmoil, however, he added that only the PTI-led government had shown unprecedented performance.
The prime minister then recapped his government’s achievements, including how the country has weathered the coronavirus pandemic and how its economy has remained stable as the whole world struggled.
“I was criticized for not imposing a full lockdown, but later the whole world appreciated our smart lockdown strategy as we saved our country, our economy and the livelihoods of the poor.”
The Prime Minister went on to explain how the country had set records in terms of economy, exports, tax collection, agriculture, remittances and construction, among other areas.
He talked about the construction of dams in the country and the resolution of water problems.
The Prime Minister then addressed the country’s media, especially news anchors, to invite economic experts so that they could assess how the government has achieved its goals.
The Prime Minister then talked about the construction of the city of Ravi which is being built to save Lahore and the Ravi River and the master plans of other cities. He also talked about the Reko Diq project and the work done by the government to improve the situation in Balochistan.
“None of the opposition leaders, over the past 30 years, has been able to work through these developments.”
Prime Minister Imran Khan then said that due to “the corruption of the PPP during his tenure”, the country had to pay a fine of 200 billion rupees after negotiation with
Turkey. “In this way, we have helped the country get rid of this debt.”
Referring to the motion of censure, the Prime Minister then referred to the “plot” hatched against him.
“When I joined politics more than two decades ago, I had a resolve never to bow to anyone except to Allah,” he said. The whole world respects a self-respecting person. No one respects a shameful person, even if they make billions.”
Speaking about the previous government, the Prime Minister said that former leaders had deviated from the path of righteousness prescribed by Allah and the Sunnah of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) and had resorted to reverence before the superpower and the International Monetary Fund.
Prime Minister Imran Khan said the country continues to receive threats due to the actions of former leaders. “Governments have been changed in the country with the help of our own people,” he said.
He said that when former prime minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto tried to introduce an independent economic policy for the country, at the time, Maulana Fazlur Rehman and “fugitive Nawaz Sharif” launched a campaign against Bhutto.
“Bhutto had been hanged because of their conspiracies and it is a shame that Zardari and Bilawal joined with those [conspirators].”
He said that for months plots and plans had been carried out to destabilize Pakistan’s economy from outside.
“Money is flowing in from abroad and some of our people are being used to overthrow our government and we know who is behind it,” adding that his government has received a “written threat” in this regard. He also flashed a letter in front of the audience.
The prime minister said there are many things that will be revealed before the nation at the right time.
“The nation wants to know who the man in London is [Nawaz] meets and they also want to know who educates these politicians living in Pakistan. »
He said the government had “evidence” from foreign hands in the Pakistan case, but refrained from giving too much information, saying that since it “concerns about the security and interest of the country, he was not free to share more details”.
Referring to the PPP and the PML-N, he said that since the two political families came to power, the country had been lagging behind.
“I’ve been fighting against them for 25 years and I’ve never fought that long for self-interest,” he said.
A few days ago, the Prime Minister said he would “surprise” the opposition on the eve of the no-confidence vote, adding that he had not yet put his cards on the table.
The PTI is ready to stage its “Amr-bil-Maroof“(enjoining a good) successful public rally in the federal capital as political pressure mounts with opposition parties also marching towards Islamabad ahead of the vote of no confidence in Prime Minister Imran Khan.
“Today is a battle for Pakistan […] and not for the PTI, this is a battle for the future of our nation,” Prime Minister Imran Khan said in a message released hours before the rally.
