Imran delivers withering attack on Nawaz, Fazl

PTI chief takes swipe at JUI-F for backing ‘corrupt’ governments

PESHAWAR: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan once again asked Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to resign in wake of the Panama leaks. He also took aim at the government’s ally Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F).

“Nawaz should resign from his post otherwise Imran Khan will defeat you in this T-20 match despite your umpires,” thundered the PTI chief while addressing a rally in Peshawar on Monday evening.

The rally was held in support of the PTI candidate contesting the PK-8 by-polls scheduled for May 12.



Imran reiterated that he had been pointing out the corruption of Nawaz for the last 30 years but no one listened to him. But now, owing to the Panama leaks, the premier had been ‘caught’.

Referring to resignations in other countries such as Iceland prime minister, and a Spanish minister over their connections to offshore companies, Imran argued that leaders of these countries resigned after their name appeared in the leaks since they could not face their people.

“But our leader Nawaz has started rallies in different areas of the country to show his status to people,” Imran alleged.

The PTI chairman reiterated his oft-repeated refrain that a nation cannot be built with bridges and roads but through education and institutional reforms.

Imran also took aim at the JUI-F, political rivals of his party in K-P, accusing them of partaking in the corruption of PM Nawaz.

The PTI chief pointed out how the party was part of each and every government since 2002.

“[During] General Pervez Musharraf’s time, (JUI-F chief) Maulana Fazlur Rehman was part of that government while he was also a part of Asif Ali Zardari’s government, and now during the reign of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), the Maulana is [also] part of this corrupt government,” he said.

“Shame on Maulana Fazl, who is part of every corrupt government in Pakistan,” Imran repeated.

He also took a swipe at JUI-F MNA Akram Khan Durrani who had vowed to remove the government in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa in a day.

“I asked Durrani how would you remove this government in one day and I challenged Durrani to gather this large a number of people at his rally,” Imran said as he went on to mock the recent JUI-F rally in Bannu claiming that there were just three people there including Durrani, Nawaz and Maulana Fazl.



Imran took Durrani up on his claim that the JUI-F MNA could ‘buy off’ PTI members. The PTI chief said he would be happy if the JUI-F could clean his party from corrupt people.

Scuffles at rally

Earlier, as Imran arrived at the rally scuffles took place between Insaf Students Federation (ISF) and police.

Many ISF members tried to get closer to the stage. But the police pushed them back and resorted to aerial firing to disperse the unruly elements.

Rashid slams use of public resources

Information Minister Pervaiz Rashid has slammed PTI’s use of public resources for an election rally.

In a statement, Rashid said that if Imran’s party delivered in the province, he would not be forced to organise public rallies at narrow intersections and at night to hide poor attendance.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, May 10^th, 2016.