KARACHI: Former Prime Minister Imran Khan warned Pakistanis that if the Lettergate conspiracy succeeded, no Prime Minister would ever be able to stand up to the US diktats.
Addressing a mammoth public gathering of charged party workers here, Imran Khan said that Pakistan faces threat to its sovereignty. He urged the entire nation to fight the international conspiracy which had been hatched to enslave Pakistan.
He said he visited Russia which had promised to provide petroleum and wheat 30 percent cheaper than international market.
He said that he was neither anti-India, nor anti-America or anti-Europe. He said that he was a humanist and was not against any nation. He said that he wanted friendly ties with every nation but would oppose any bid to enslave Pakistanis.
He said that under the conspiracy, a traitor had been imposed to rule Pakistan. He said he was informed that he was facing life threats but he said that his life was not much important but Pakistan’s sovereignty was.
He said that the US diplomats started meeting opposition leaders and PTI dissidents and even journalists were being lured under the plan.
He said that Pakistan’s Ambassador met US official Donald Lu who even before filing of no confidence motion told that if no trust motion would fail, Pakistan would have to face consequences. If the motion was carried, Pakistan would be pardoned.
He said argued who was being threatened? He argued what crime did he commit that the courts were opened at the midnight? He deplored that he was sent behind bars just to carry on struggle for freedom of judiciary.
He said that he knew that match had been fixed to oust him from power but never had been hurt due to judiciary. He argued why Supreme Court did not investigate the Lettergate while the country’s top executive was being threatened.
“When there was an open purchase of lawmakers was going on .. why judiciary did not take suo-motu action as it was a violation of the Constitution?”
He urged the nation not to pardon these turncoats ever in life. He said everyone knew the plot and who would replace him. He said that Pakistani Americans was a strong community in the US and was contributing for Pakistan’s cause.
Imran Khan said that he was happy to see Pakistani flags waving in across Karachi as Pakistan faced a challenging times.
He said that Shehbaz Sharif was facing corruption cases of Rs 40 billion who was on bail had been imposed to rule Pakistan.
Earlier, the former prime minister has arrived at the site of the gathering. Currently, the PTI’s national-level leadership is taking turns delivering their speeches before Khan takes the stage.
Qureshi demands judicial inquiry into lettergate scandal
Former foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi has demanded a judicial commission to probe the issue of ‘threat letter’ “if anyone was in any doubt about its legitimacy”.
“Maryam and Bilawal say the document is fake but the people [coming to the public gathering] have proven that it is not fake and legitimate… if you are in any doubt then you can form a judicial commission and the truth will come out,” he added.
Shah Mahmood Qureshi criticised Premier Shehbaz Sharif for lack of response on the Israeli forces attack on Al-Aqsa Mosque, reminding the public that Imran Khan had ordered raising the matter at UN last year and got a ceasefire.
He also came down hard over the PML-N led government for hike in sugar, cooking oil and power tariff.
Awami Muslim League chief Sheikh Rashid, who is a key ally of the PTI, saluted “Karachi’s passion”, claiming that the city has “broken the record of Fatima Jinnah’s gathering” for Khan.
He predicted that Khan would end the incumbent government before May 30 before he took aim at PPP Chairman Asif Ali Zardari, calling him a “bandit”.
In the end, he had a message for the military. “I want to talk to the Pakistan Army. We are with you,” he said as he told the crowd to “wave Pakistan’s flag so it can be seen that Karachi is with Pakistan’s flag and Imran Khan”.
Former Sindh governor Imran Ismail said that the entire city of Karachi was willing to take to the streets on Khan’s call. He claimed that his party can shut down the entire city whenever it wants.
“We retain the power to shut down the city on half an hour’s notice,” he said. “We have done it in the past … and we are restless to do it again. All we need is the go-ahead from you Khan sahab. We will take to the streets and teach them a lesson.”
Former minister Ali Zaidi was also critical of Zardari, questioning: “What have you done with our city and people of our province?
“The people will never forgive you. When elections take place, there will be a PTI government in Sindh,” he warned
PTI’s local leadership warns MQM-P of political extinction
Prior to Khan’s arrival at the venue, various PTI leaders from Sindh, including Faisal Vawda, Aslam khan, Khurram Sher Zaman, Haleem Adil Sheikh and Firdous Shamim Naqvi addressed the crowd.
The party’s local leadership, during their speeches, criticised in particular their former regional ally Muttahidda Qaumi Movement-Pakistan. Sindh MPA Khurram Sher Zaman branded the MQM-P “traitors”, possibly referring to their severing of ties with the PTI at a crucial time that cost them their government.
PTI leader Firdous Shamim Naqvi termed the MQM-P a party that “destroyed the city” and predicted that its seats would be reduced to “zero” in the next elections.
MPA Shahzad Qureshi said that the stage — set up in the shadow of the Quaid’s mausoleum — “has been built using 100 containers”, adding that “we have never seen such a huge stage for any rally in Karachi.”
A day ago, Khan requested his supporters to carry the Pakistani flag to tonight’s gathering, adding that the “fight now was for the country’s sovereignty and real democracy”.
PTI leader Imran Ismail claimed the power show would be the “biggest in Pakistan’s history” and said Khan was expected to speak by 9pm.
PTI Vice Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi said it didn’t matter whether the PTI was censored, banned or its coverage blocked, the people would still come out for an independent and sovereign Pakistan.
Meanwhile, PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry claimed the “entire country” would come out to protest and every city would present scenes similar to Karachi — the “heart” of the campaign. “The ones to black out this movement will themselves get blacked out,” he said.
On Wednesday, Chaudhry along with PTI leader Hammad Azhar had called for protests across the country every Saturday to “reclaim the freedom lost to the United States of America”.
The Karachi police made detailed security arrangements and as admitted by the PTI leadership, the party extended every possible help for the security.
However, the party itself has a pool of over a thousand volunteers for all arrangements, including security, seating and movement of shuttle service from the designated points to bring families to Bagh-i-Jinnah.
“We have devised a plan. For families, we have asked to take a route that would lead them to Society traffic intersection from where they can enter Bagh-i-Jinnah through Shahrah-i-Quaideen,” Shahzad Qureshi said. “Those coming from Gulshan-i-Iqbal, Gulistan-i-Jauhar or through University Road can park their vehicles at the VIP gate of Mazar-i-Quaid.
“Similarly, parking arrangements have been made at Nishtar Park, KGA Ground and China Ground from where a shuttle service would bring the families to the venue.”
The PTI rally is being held less than a week after a storm of people thronged the Millennium Mall traffic intersection from all over the city on the call of the PTI chairman for agitation against his removal from the government via a no-confidence vote.
Even PTI critics and political pundits had no doubt that the PTI through its Saturday rally was going to “prove its Karachi power again”.
The party claimed that the show had already begun and it would not be a “less than a million people crowd” which would roar with its leader at Bagh-i-Jinnah against the “selected government”.
