PM asks Sharif to face ‘independent judiciary’

Premier asks AJK to vote for ‘honest and truthful’ leadership on polling day

BHIMBER:

Prime Minister Imran Khan on Sunday asked former premier Nawaz Sharif and his family residing in the UK to return to the country and face trials to prove their honesty as the judiciary in the country was “fully independent”.

“[The] judiciary in the country is fully independent as Imran Khan did not attack courts or contact judges seeking favourable judgments,” the prime minister said while addressing a rally in Bhimber where he is campaigning for his party for the upcoming Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) elections on July 25.

“I ask them a question -- why are they sitting outside the country if they are honest and truthful, why do they fear facing courts?” the prime minister added.

He claimed that due to an “independent judiciary” and “accountability process”, even the ruling PTI’s ministers were not spared.

“The courts and NAB [National Accountability Bureau] are free and not under anyone’s control,” he claimed.

The prime minister asked the people there to ask themselves on the polling day as to who had plundered the country in the last 30 years.

He added that he had not left the country when politically-motivated cases were filed against him in the Supreme Court.

He faced trial and submitted “each and every proof” of his innocence because he had not committed any crime.

The prime minister further observed that countries did not become poor because of lack of resources but due to the absence of the rule of law.

“When the rulers consider themselves above the law and roamed the world with NROs, then countries are ruined,” he added.

“To bring ‘powerful bandits’ under the rule of law is the real fight for Pakistan and Kashmir. We have to enforce the rule of law and rid the poor from the clutches of injustices.”

The prime minister asked the people of AJK to differentiate between “honest and truthful” leadership and the corrupt one on July 25.

He said that he was very concerned about the future of the young generation of the country and wanted it to become a great nation in the world.

 “[The] green passport should be respected all over the world,” he added.

“Unfortunately, in the past they [previous rulers] moved on the wrong path, roaming with begging bowls, seeking loans and participating in others’ wars.”

He said nobody respected beggars and loan seekers. “Even close relatives do not tolerate it.”

The prime minister said Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah was an honest and upright leader whose qualities were acknowledged even by his political adversaries.

He stressed upon the people that they had to change themselves and the country to become a great nation by becoming “truthful and honest”.

He said there should be no two sets of laws – one for the poor and the other for the “powerful mafia”.

“When a nation fails to differentiate between good and evil, it dies, first morally and then financially.”

The prime minister advised the people to shun their personal interests and think of the country while casting their votes in the AJK elections.

About Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s illegal and unilateral steps of August 5, 2019, PM Imran said New Delhi had actually not realised the outcome of its action.

“By using pellet guns against innocent Kashmiris and carrying out extrajudicial killings, they [India] thought that no one would raise their voice from Pakistan due to their past experience with corrupt rulers,” he added.

The prime minister referred to a statement of a former foreign secretary who said that Sharif had completely barred any criticism of India.

“Nawaz Sharif did not even meet the Hurriyat Conference leadership in India to appease Modi,” he added.

The prime minister said Modi had miscalculated about Pakistan as he thought that its rulers would give priority to their offices, ill-gotten wealth, indulge in money laundering, and secure their bank accounts abroad.

“But I am an independent man. I will live and die for Pakistan,” he said.

He claimed that due to his efforts, the issue of Kashmir was discussed by the UN Security Council after a gap of 50 years.

“Kashmiris have been waging a valiant struggle for decades, and from my childhood I had decided to fight for their case when given the opportunity.”

The prime minister further said New Delhi had tried to change the demography of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) but it could not succeed as the world was witnessing the situation.

“The changing of demography of an illegally occupied territory is a war crime under the Geneva conventions,” he noted.

He reiterated that Pakistan would continue raising the issue at all global levels.

The prime minister also stressed the need for people to wear masks as the coronavirus pandemic still persisted in the country.

“By wearing masks and following SOPs [standard operating procedures], its spread can be contained,” he said.

(With input from APP)