LAHORE: Imran Khan, chairman of the Pakistan People’s Party, urged Pakistanis Thursday to prepare for a campaign for “true independence” and await his call to Islamabad, as the ousted premier emphasized he would not accept the “imported government” at any cost.
“The actual party has only just begun; our campaign will intensify in the coming weeks […] please await my call. I want nothing else but early elections,” the former prime minister told the Lahore jalsa, appealing to “those who made a mistake.” “to hold early elections.
Khan urged PML-N and PPP supporters to join the PTI, claiming they were unaware of the foreign conspiracy hatched against his government.
According to the PTI chairman, his party is a democratic force that seeks democratic solutions. “Those who have made an error, it is now your turn to call for early elections.”
Additionally, he administered an oath to the participants:
“Hum sub aj ehed kerty hain, kay hum apne mulk ki haqeiqi azadi or jamhoriat ki lie har waqt jid-o-jehd kerty hain. Tab tak jid-o-jehd kerainge jab tak election nahi hote (We pledge to fight for our country’s actual independence and democracy. We will continue to fight until elections are announced).”
“However, I want to be clear that I do not desire conflict. This is my country, and I am unable to leave […] I will spend my entire life in Pakistan “The chairman of the PTI stated.
Khan reiterated that without a strong army, Pakistan would have been divided into three parts. “Had our army personnel not made such selfless sacrifices, our situation would have been comparable to that of Syria and Iraq.”
Criticizing the incumbent government for deposing him, the former prime minister claimed they bought lawmakers’ consciences and “polished the boots of foreign powers.”
Khan went into detail about why a “foreign conspiracy” was hatched against him, stating that his goal from the day he took power was to give Pakistan an independent foreign policy.
“An independent foreign policy entails that all decisions are made in the public interest. I am unable to make a sacrifice of my countrymen to a foreign power, ” Khan stated.
According to the PTI chairman, incumbent rulers were always obedient when foreign powers issued directives, but he did not follow suit, and thus the foreign powers “did not like it.”
Khan also vowed to raise the issue of Islamophobia at every international forum — the United Nations, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, and others — as a strong 1.5 billion Muslim population faced persecution in other countries.
“So the foreigners disliked that as well,” he explained.
Thirdly, the foreign powers despised his attitude of “refusing to take dictation from anyone.” The deposed premier claimed that his visit to Russia was questioned by a foreign power.
In defending his visit to Russia, the PTI chairman stated that Moscow was willing to supply Pakistan with petroleum products at a 30% discount to international prices.
“We could sell petrol and Fazlur Rehman (diesel) at a 30% discount,” the former premier joked, referring to the JUI-F leader, whose party is a member of the ruling coalition.
Extolling the virtues of India’s foreign policy
Khan stated that Pakistan’s interest in importing oil from Russia was self-evident. He added that the US requested that India refrain from importing oil from Russia, but New Delhi informed Washington that it was in their country’s best interests to do so.
“This means that while India’s foreign policy serves their countrymen’s interests, our foreign policy serves the interests of another country,” the PTI chairman alleged.
Khan stated that foreign powers did not agree with him expanding trade with China.
“Because they did not agree with all of these things, a plot was devised. However, no conspiracy will succeed without the assistance of Mir Jafars and Mir Sadiqs “As stated by the deposed premier.
He asserted that the incumbent government is comprised of three stooges: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, PPP Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari, and JUI-F Chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman — who backed the foreign conspiracy wholeheartedly.
Khan asserted that his government was deposed at a time when the country was advancing, with remittances, tax collection, and development all at “historic levels.”
“The unemployment rate was at an all-time low; we were way ahead of everyone else. Our government also handled the coronavirus admirably, preserving lives and employment opportunities for our impoverished citizens,” Khan stated.
Controversy surrounding Toshakhana
Referring to the Toshakhana controversy, he stated that during previous governments, leaders would purchase items from the Toshakhana at a discount of 15%.
“However, when we came to power, we set the rate at 50%, with the proceeds going to the government. Everything I purchased is documented, and everything was done in accordance with the law “‘He stated.
Khan stated that he repaired the road outside his house with his own funds and did not use government funds. “I am responsible for my own expenses.”
In a scathing attack on the incumbent government, the PTI chairman claimed that no other prime minister in Pakistan’s history has spent so little on himself.
The PTI has decided not to accept the commission investigating the letter-gate scandal.
Khan pleaded with the judiciary to protect the officers charged with prosecuting Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and his son Hamza Shahbaz in corruption cases.
The PTI chairman asserted that no government official would take action against the prime minister and his family as a result of their current positions.
“I ask the courts: Isn’t it your responsibility to safeguard these officers?”
The ousted prime minister stated that he attempted to advance cases against the then-opposition during his tenure, but was unable to do so because the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) were not under his control.
“The NAB was not subordinate to me, and the courts were independent […] apart from their FIA cases, what could we have done? And those in positions of power did not consider corruption to be a bad thing “The chairman of the PTI stated.
Additionally, the ousted premier rejected Prime Minister Shehbaz’s proposal to establish a commission to investigate the letter-gate scandal, stating that the PTI would only follow Supreme Court directives in this regard.
‘Civil war’
Prior to Khan’s announcement, former interior minister Sheikh Rasheed stated that the PTI chairman’s fight against the incumbent government would continue and that he would support him to the bitter end.
Speaking about potential security threats against Khan prior to the event, Rasheed warned: “If a single hair on Imran Khan’s head is harmed, the country will descend into civil war.”
The former interior minister stated that people from all over the world demonstrated in support of PTI Chairman Imran Khan following his ouster via a vote of no confidence.
Regarding the PTI’s dissident members, Rasheed stated that he would organize public rallies against them. “I am in politics on behalf of the world’s 220 million people,” he continued.
‘Choose your destiny’
PTI Vice-Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi, for his part, stated that his party defeated both the PPP and the PML-N in a seven-year span. “The PTI won a historic victory in 2018.”
“It is up to you whether you want to live as slaves or with your heads held high,” Qureshi stated.
In response to Khan’s assertion that the incumbent government is backed by the US, Qureshi stated that the nation must decide today whether future Pakistani decisions will be made in Islamabad or Washington.
He continued by stating that his party’s intentions were “unambiguous.”
PTI alleges that roads have been closed and internet service has been disconnected.
The PTI accused the government of blocking “all” roads leading to Minar-i-Pakistan and shutting down internet service during the jalsa.
“Imported government and desperate crime minister believe they can prevent the nation from rising up against this imported government’s criminal mafia! This will not occur, you criminals!” Shireen Mazari, the PTI’s leader, stated in a tweet.
Just yesterday, the PTI chairman spoke at a Twitter Spaces session — by far the largest in Pakistan — on a variety of topics, including the election commission, former aides, and the letter-gate controversy.
Meanwhile, in response to security threats against Khan in connection with today’s PTI rally in Lahore, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif directed that his predecessor be provided with foolproof security.
According to a tweet from the Prime Minister’s Office, the premier has directed the Interior Division to take appropriate action.
