LAHORE: Former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on Saturday announced that they will dissolve their provincial assemblies of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) next Friday, December 23.
He added that they will then surround the National Assembly Speaker Raja Pervez Ashraf to accept their resignations from the lower house of Parliament.
Addressing the crowd via video link from his Zaman Park mansion in Lahore while flanked by Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) chief ministers Parvez Elahi and Mehmood Khan, Imran pointed towards the poor economy of the country and the conspiracy against his government.
He noted that economic indicators during his government were all on the up despite not receiving grants from the west unlike three dictators who ruled Pakistan for the longest.
Growth during dictatorships was due to their alignment with the West to fight their wars. During Ziaul Haque’s regime, there was the Afghanistan war where we sided with the West.
During dictator General (retired) Pervez Musharraf’s tenure there was the War on Terror. During Field Marshal Ayub Khan’s tenure there was CENTO and SEATO.
What was the reason that our government, under which the country was progressing economically, toppled and thieves were imposed on us? he asked.
He said that after their ouster when they approached the Supreme Court, even the judges were convinced that fresh elections should be held. But the Chief Election Commissioner Sultan Akram Raja went to the court and told them that elections cannot be held.
He accused former chief of army staff General (retired) Qamar Javed Bajwa of engineering the ouster of his government.
Imran said he provided all the details to the courts about his assets just like every commoner in Pakistan — unlike the ones who “looted” money of the masses and siphoned it abroad.
“All their money, business, and children are abroad. They are living a luxurious life in Pakistan after looting the nation’s money,” Imran said, claiming that he never thought that he could ever live anywhere else except Pakistan.
The PTI chief said that for the first time in his life, he “fears” that the “corrupt gang” imposed on the country was taking the nation toward destruction. “You can ask any industrialist, labour, and farmer; their finances cannot be managed amid the ongoing economic situation.”
The former prime minister claimed that Pakistan witnessed 50-year high inflation after the incumbent government came into power. “They washed away all the hard work we did.”
The PTI chief mentioned that the economy — including industries, taxes, exports, and agriculture — witnessed a boost during his party’s government, which lasted for nearly four years.
“But this government has not even been able to progress in one sector. Given the situation in the country, over 750,000 people have gone abroad,” Imran said as he lambasted the ruling coalition.
The ex-prime minister lamented that the hundreds of thousands of people who left Pakistan were skilled workers and their deprivation will hurt the country in the long run.
Imran further lamented that his government — which was ousted in April — worked hard to revive the economy that was on the brink of default when the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) left the government in 2018.
The PTI chief mentioned that the growth witnessed during his party’s tenure was last seen during three previous governments — former army dictators General Ayub Khan, General Zia-ul-Haq, and General Pervez Musharraf.
“All these growth targets were achieved because we were hand-in-hand with America on several fronts. So, who was behind all this regime change operation? Why were these corrupt elements brought into power?”
Imran said the direct foreign investment, remittances, tax, and exports have all decreased. “Foreign investors do not trust the government. Since we do not have dollars for repaying energy debt, foreign debt. They do not have a plan except seeking loans from China.”
He said loans were not enough as it is tantamount to treating cancer with disprin tablet. “The only solution to it is through wealth creation. If you create wealth, you can ensure that you don’t have to beg loans for the next time.”
Blaming the coalition government for mishandling the country’s economy, Khan said: “Had they managed the economy well, we would have been fine with them completing the term, but the country is going down. Everything is going down in the country. I’m afraid [Pakistan] is moving toward default.”
In the end of his address , he announced to dissolve the assemblies in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on December 23 (Friday).
