ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan Wednesday dubbed the no trust motion as a conspiracy hatched from abroad.
“This crisis is a conspiracy hatched from abroad. The people who used to control Pakistan and get their demands accepted, just on a phone call, against Pakistan’s national interests, cannot tolerate, or not in a habit of having a government in Pakistan making decisions in the country’s interests,” the prime minister said while addressing the inauguration ceremony of e-passport is Islamabad.
He also said that he would be sharing the contents of the conspiracy letter with members of the ruling coalition and journalists, saying Pakistan’s refusal to bow before foreign pressure led to the “imported crisis” against his government.
He said he would share the document on conspiracy with top journalists to satisfy the people thinking it was a “political gimmick”.
“People think there is a drama going on. This is not a gimmick. Since we just want to protect our national interests, we cannot disclose who threatened us. As people claim Imran Khan wanted to protect his government [through the issue], so I decided to share it with journalists,” he added.
The prime minister said people are unintentionally becoming part of the conspiracy against the country.
“I will also invite representatives from allied parties and share [the letter] with them. […] This document is real. This is a conspiracy even bigger than what I said. This is clear in the document,” he said.
The prime minister questioned whether the country got any single benefit from joining the War on Terror led by a country that did not even appreciate the sacrifices Pakistan rendered.
He said after joining the so-called war, Pakistan suffered huge human and economic blows and people lost their limbs and suffered paralysis, particularly those from tribal towns, due to drone attacks.
About 3.5 million people were displaced and the alms-givers turned into alms-seeker over night.
This is because we sacrificed our national interest to protect someone else’s.
He said the independent foreign was meant to keep the country’s own interests above.
He said the allies are independent to make their own decisions but while doing so, they should keep in mind whether they were becoming part of an international conspiracy against Pakistan.
Calling the no-confidence motion a genuine political way to remove a government, the prime minister said the crisis was usual in parliamentary democracies as sometimes, the political parties lose the confidence of the people.
The prime minister said the use of technology had eased the people’s lives besides curbing corruption.
He said 22 years ago, Shaukat Khanum Cancer Hospital introduced digital working which made a huge difference by doing away with corruption and bringing about transparency.
Khan said the road contracts involved huge corruption and exemplified the construction of roads by the incumbent government in 2021 with the cost of Rs230 million per kilometre lower than the contract agreements of 2013.
He said as per estimates, Rs1,000 billion were siphoned off from the road projects.
He also lauded the overseas Pakistanis for supporting the economy by sending a record $31 billion in remittances amidst skyrocketing oil prices. He said the expatriates deserved to be given maximum facilitation at the airport and other departments.
Appreciating the Ministry of Interior and National Databases and Registration Authority (NADRA), the prime minister said the e-passport facility will not only help end queues at airports but also ensure security.
“This will also help promote tourism which, besides remittances, was the other solution to bridge the trade gap.”
He said the construction of Skardu International Airport would enable the tourists to land directly at Skardu instead of waiting for days in Islamabad for the flights.
“We never declared tourism as an industry. There should be resorts and other attractions to make tourists spend money here,” he added.
