FAISALABAD: Addressing a huge rally in Faisalabad, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on Friday assured his party would clean sweep the upcoming Punjab by-polls. The former premier vowed to beat the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the ‘turncoats’. He said he never saw his nation so aware as it is today.
Imran Khan reiterated that July 17 by-elections will not be like the past as this time, an aware nation would cast votes.
He said “I have never seen this nation as aware in the last 75 years.”
Imran Khan claimed that the ‘imported government’ plundered Rs1,100 billion of public money through amendments in National Accountability Bureau (NAB) laws as they came into power, vowing that he would not let rulers usurp the public money.
Addressing a big election Jalsa, Khan began his speech by thanking the citizens to participate in the public gathering ‘in large numbers’.
“The people of Pakistan are now aware of their rights and the conspiracies held against the country,” he said.
He retold that the ‘foreign conspiracy’ was succeeded with the facilitation of Mir Jafar and Mir Sadiq of Pakistan. However, the PTI Chairman vowed to fight for Pakistan ’till the last ball’.
He claimed the government will leave no stones unturned for rigging in the by-polls as it has realized that the nation is with PTI while urging the youth to vote for the ‘bat’.
He promised the participants of the rally that he would not let the crooks usurp the public money.
PTI chairman said the turncoats would see how the people would ‘smack’ them with the ‘bat’ – PTI’s electoral symbol – on July 17.
Imran Khan also criticized the recent reduction in fuel prices by the government as he termed it ‘Inadequate’. “Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced the reduction as if he was doing a favor to the nation,” he added.
He noted that the global oil prices have dropped significantly below $100 and the price of petrol and diesel locally should be around Rs150.
He contended that the government is not doing so because it fears International Monetary Fund (IMF) unlike the PTI government which did not succumb to the pressure from the global lender and kept the price of the commodity low.
Citing examples of Afghanistan and Sri Lanka, the PTI chairman said the rulers of both countries fled abroad as their wealth and assets were there as he compared Sharif and Zardari families with them.
Imran Khan said the textile industry of Faisalabad was booming only a few months earlier so much so that it created a shortage of laborers. However, he lamented that industries were shutting down now due to the government which came into power through conspiracy.
Imran Khan reiterated that they want good relations with every country including the US but would not embrace anyone as their ‘masters’.
“The US brought the incumbent rulers in powers as it could not bear a leader who serves the interest of his nation instead of their,” he added.
