— PM details successes achieved by his government
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan Sunday said foreign powers were involved in a “conspiracy” to send his government packing through the no-confidence motion tabled by the unified opposition.
The embattled prime minister said this while addressing a historic public gathering — Amar bil-Maroof — at Islamabad’s Parade Ground amid a looming no-trust vote against him in the National Assembly.
Experts believe Khan has launched his public mobilisation campaign sensing a defeat in no-trust motion. In his two-hour-long speech, Khan highlighted in detail his government’s successes and the challenges he had faced — thereby implying that he had kicked off the campaign for early elections which are otherwise due in almost one-and-a-half-year time.
In his long speech, Khan narrated successes on the economic and foreign policy front besides detailing the reforms introduced by his government in the past three and a half years.
Foreign conspiracy
Khan also dropped pointed hints at some international conspiracy being hatched to overthrow his government.
Terming a letter as ‘evidence’ of his allegations, PM Imran said foreign elements are using local politicians and money to change the country’s foreign policy.
“I rarely write my speeches… but I wrote this speech today so that I don’t get emotional and say anything which can affect our foreign policy,” said the premier while claiming that foreign elements were involved in a regime change in Pakistan.
PM Imran said his government received threat in written form and asserted he had all the evidence to prove his claims which he said he will unveil at a ‘right time’.
“Our country received threats due to the acts of previous leaders… the governments in Pakistan had been changed with the help of locals… when Zulfikar Ali Bhutto tried to make independent foreign policy… parties of Fazlur Rehman and ‘absconder’ Nawaz Sharif launched a movement against him and later Bhutto was executed,” said the premier.
He lashed out at PPP leadership, saying that Bilawal and Asif Zardari have formed alliance with those elements involved in the execution of their party founder.
“Today foreign elements are trying to affect our foreign policy again… we know the elements who united the killers and the victims… but today the times have changed and there is a saying in English, ‘you only cross the river once’… this is an age of social media where you cannot hide anything.”
PM Imran said his government will maintain friendly ties with other states but will never become “slave to anyone”.
Khan said due to the public pressure, not only his own party dissident MNAs won’t vote against him but independent lawmakers belonging to the PPP and PML-N will also not support the no-confidence motion against him “if their conscience are pricked by the conspiracy”, the premier said.
PM Imran Khan, while addressing today’s rally, said he will not spare ‘corrupt leaders’ even if he was ousted from his post.
“First of all, I express heartfelt gratitude to my nation for coming from all parts of the country on my appeal,” he said in his opening remarks. He also appreciated his party lawmakers present at the rally for refusing “opposition’s attempts to buy them off”.
“I came into politics 25 years ago and formed political party for one thing only and that is following the vision of Pakistan for which it was created.”
Government performance
PM Imran once again claimed that he had put the country on the path of becoming “Medina-like” welfare state. “Previously, it was not possible for a common man to get free treatment at private hospitals… for the first time in country’s history attempts are being made to lift the downtrodden segment of the society,” said the premier while referring to his government’s social welfare programmes.
Continuing his diatribe against the opposition leaders, PM Imran said, “‘three stooges’ wanted to topple my government to get NRO and doge accountability”. He vowed that come what may he will not spare the “corrupt leaders”, saying that he was even ready to put his government at stake for this purpose.
“No government in the past has performed like my administration has done in the last 3.5 years,” the premier claimed once again. “When the entire world was shut down due to coronavirus lockdowns… I did not impose the blanket lockdown… I was criticised that I was destroying the country,” he remarked.
“Today I stand proud that entire world is acknowledging that we protected the economy as well as people from the pandemic.”
He also cited a World Bank report, saying that Pakistan has the lowest unemployment rate in South Asia due to his government’s “prudent policies”.
Premier Imran said all sectors of the country including exports, agriculture and others witnessed a boom during his tenure, adding that after a gap of 50 years nine mega-dams are being constructed in the country.
‘Corrupt vs honest leaders’
PM Imran while citing various examples, said, “People should know that the country benefits when honest rulers run it instead of corrupt leaders”.
“International court imposed a fine of Rs2,000 billion few years ago in Reko Diq case… my best team negotiated with them [private mining firm] and now they are investing $9 billion in Pakistan,” the premier said, adding that the people of Balochistan will benefit the most from the investment.
“Our currency will appreciate… Pakistan will have the largest gold reserves in the world.”
Likewise, PM Imran said in rental power project case a Rs200 billion penalty was imposed on Pakistan. “I spoke to [Turkish president] Tayyip Erdogan and they waived off the penalty,” he added.
Moreover, the premier claimed Minister for Communication Murad Saeed saved millions of rupees in the construction of main motorways and highways.
Earlier, PTI workers from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab, and other parts of Pakistan reached the venue to support their leader ahead of the no-confidence motion against him.
At the onset of his speech, he thanked his supporters for gathering in the capital at his call. “First of all, I thank my nation. The way you turned up on my call from all corners of Pakistan, I appreciate you from the bottom of my heart. I also pay tribute to my team of parliamentarians as ‘you were offered money and attempts were made to bribe you but you made me happy and I am proud of you.’
“I want to speak my heart out and I want you to listen to me quietly. I invited you for Amr Bil Maroof to emphasise that our Pakistan was built on the ideology of Islamic welfare state. We had to build the country on the basis of Riyasat e Madina.
“Shah Mehmood Qureshi had said [in his speech earlier that] there is an external interference in Pakistan … I will speak about it later. [First], you must understand that we cannot become a nation until we stand by our actual ideology.
“I want to clarify that I also did not know the ideology of Pakistan for quite some time. I left for abroad at the age of 18. As I began to understand the religion, I noticed that the orders of Allah to the Holy Prophet (PBUH) were implemented more in the West.
“In Britain, free medical treatment, free education, unemployment benefits, and free legal aid is given to the people. Our Prophet had created Riysat-e-Madina where the state had taken the responsibility of its people.”
The prime minister recalled what he said were his government’s measures to alleviate the burden on the public.
“We are providing loans to families for housing, technical education and small businesses. As soon as our tax was enhanced, I announced a subsidy and reduced rates of petrol and ‘Fazlur Rehman’,” he said. “I also offered a subsidy in power tariff. I promise I will spend more money on my people as our government collects more capital in taxes.”
The prime minister linked his crusade against corruption with the teachings of the Holy Prophet (PBUH).
“Our Prophet had also emphasised for the supremacy of law. I don’t give them NRO because my Prophet had explained that nations get destroyed when you punish the poor and exempt the rich.
“Poor countries are backward because the law there fails to catch the rich who are involved in white-collar crimes. They transfer stolen and looted money to offshore accounts. Small thieves do not destroy a country like the way big thieves do.”
