Imran Khan vows to fight for rights of Baloch

PTI chairman presents five demands to federal government at party rally in Dera Murad Jamali, Balochistan

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan presented on Sunday the federal government with his party’s five demands if the latter wanted to avoid street protests.

“I present these five demands: Reduce prices of petrol and kerosene by Rs5 and diesel by Rs20; withdraw three new taxes on electricity and lower its prices by Rs3; bring professional management in public institutions and restructure them and release salaries of poor workers immediately,” Imran said while addressing party workers at Dera Murad Jamali in Naseerabad district of Balochistan.

I'm putting 5 demands before Nawaz Sharif and if unfulfilled we'll come to roads @ImranKhanPTI #TabdeeliInBaluchistan

— PTI (@PTIofficial) February 7, 2016

“We will be forced to organise protests if these demands are not met,” he said, adding his party had resorted to the historic 126-day sit-in in Islamabad only after it exhausted all means of seeking justice.



Workers and supporters of the PTI listen to their party leader Imran Khan's speech at Dera Murad Jamali on February 7, 2016. PHOTO: PTI

Imran said he will fight for the rights of Balochistan, claiming he did not have an idea how rights of smaller provinces were suppressed until his party formed government in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.

“[The] K-P does not get its due share of water, electricity and gas from the centre," he said. "A water channel supposed to be built in 1992 has not been built by the government, yet."

The government was taking loans and spending on metro buses instead of development of smaller provinces, added the PTI chairman.



Imran assured the people of Balochistan that his party will never use force against them.

“I will never start a military operation in your province but will respect your right to protest,” he said, claiming that he understood why Balochis were struggling for their rights.

Regarding the continuing PIA crisis, the PTI chief said it was the constitutional right of the airlines’ workers to stage a peaceful protest.



“Why cannot government bring a better management in PIA instead of selling it to a private institution? It’s all part of an evil plan. They appoint corrupt people on the top who make the institution suffer and then they sell it out.”

About the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), Imran said the government had a golden opportunity to build the shortest route, which would have aided the poor people of smaller provinces, especially Balochistan but Nawaz Sharif did not keep his word.