Visit to Karachi: Imran rules out alliance with corrupt parties

Stresses need for empowering local governments

KARACHI: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan said on Monday that Asif Ali Zardari and Shehbaz Sharif were not running political parties, but heading mafias in the country.

“Mafia dominates in both the parties and we will not enter into alliance with a political party whose leadership is corrupt,” said Khan while addressing party workers in Karachi.

At the culmination of his two-day visit to the city, the PTI chief said all party workers “are my asset and together we will form New Pakistan”. The workers chanted ‘Prime Minister Imran Khan’.

Khan held both the mainstream political parties, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), “equally responsible for deepening corruption in the system”.



He said the Quaid-e-Azam worked for the public and did not establish his own sugar mills or factories. He shifted and dedicated all his wealth to Pakistan, unlike the current political leaders, he added.

“The days of the rulers are numbered and we will defeat them in the upcoming general elections,” he said.

Addressing the transporters community earlier, the PTI chief criticised the Sindh and Punjab police and said, “Both provincial governments are using the police for their vested interests. The PPP and the PML-N have enjoyed power politics for 20 years, but failed to resolve people’s problems,” he said.

He said before the last general elections, every Pakistani owed Rs30,000 in debt which had now climbed to Rs0.13 million.

“I challenge NAB [National Accountability Bureau] to dig up any corruption case from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa [K-P],” said Khan, claiming his party’s government in K-P to be free from corruption. He said it was unprecedented that his government sacked its own provincial minister over allegations of corruption.

He also stressed the need for an effective local government system in the country, and asked all provincial governments to follow the K-P model and empower local bodies.

“This is actual gross-roots politics and nothing can be changed until or unless we give powers to local representatives. I am in favour of direct election of mayor,” stated Khan.



Meanwhile, the PTI chief also spoke to the business community in Karachi and said that for business to flourish there must be a competent and effective policing system as deploying Rangers in every corner was not a permanent solution.

“Karachi is the financial hub of the country. Pakistan cannot develop if the volatility in Karachi containes,” he said.

Khan also slammed the ruling party for its “broken” promises to end loadshedding.

“The energy crisis has affected the overall performance of the country. While successive governments always gave subsidies to businessmen, the incumbent government has failed to do so,” he said.

Khan, accompanied by his party MNA Asad Umer, said, “We have developed our institutions and brought reforms in the police… we will replicate the same in other provinces.”

He also pledged drastic changes in Federal Bureau of Revenue (FBR) to improve tax collection.