Opp has fallen into its own trap: PM

Imran says after failure of no-trust move, they are bound to lose 2023 elections

ISLAMABAD:

Prime Minister Imran Khan on Tuesday termed the no-confidence motion tabled against him as a trap in which the opposition parties had fallen, saying that after its failure, there was no way they could win in the 2023 general elections.

“They have fallen into their own trap. I predict, they will not only fail in their no-trust motion but also lose the 2023 elections,” Premier Imran said while addressing the Pakistan Overseas Convention.

PM Imran expressed his gratitude to the opposition parties for bringing the no-confidence motion against him in parliament, saying that it had not only stirred all the ranks and files of his party across the country, but also helped the people realise the inner self-centered motives of the “three stooges” – a reference made to JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif and PPP Co-chairman Asif Zardari.

The prime minister sarcastically pointed out that the opposition parties had made the people forget the prices of tomatoes and potatoes by filing the no-confidence motion.

“Look at the faces of these three stooges, on one side, people saw (PML-N supremo) Nawaz Sharif and Shehbaz, and on the other side, Zardari and Fazl. Now all the people are heading towards Islamabad to attend the PTI’s gathering,” he added.

Terming the no-trust move “a special favour from Allah Almighty”, he said that he was fed up with the opposition parties’ oft-repeated chorus over the fate of his government.

The prime minister said now he was fully focused on these “three thieves” as they did not know the nation. The nation knew it very well how Nawaz Sharif was pampered by former General Jillani, while Shehbaz delivered fruit baskets and Zardari assumed leadership of the party by selling tickets.

The prime minister challenged the opposition parties to compete with PTI performance-wise in any sector, saying that they would miserably fail.

In the past, the leadership of these parties had accused each other over corruption and framed graft cases. It was a PML-N leader who had named Fazlur Rehman “diesel” because of “minting money through sale of diesel permits”.

“If these leaders have to save the country, the people would prefer drowning with Imran Khan rather than going with them,” he added.

He said that global inflation had hit economies of all the countries alike but in Pakistan, his government was making efforts to reduce the burden of price hike on the masses.

The prime minister while lauding the contribution of overseas Pakistanis for the country’s economy said that he had close contacts with them and realised their issues.

“The overseas Pakistanis always felt pain when they saw their motherland lagging behind other countries in terms of progress and development.

“They were tormented to experience that their previous leaders lived in palatial houses in expensive areas of London, roamed in luxurious vehicles and enjoyed casinos,” he added.

The overseas sent remittances to Pakistan after toiling abroad but, the past rulers plundered their hard-earned money to secure their luxurious life style, he said, adding that such acts also brought a bad name to the country. “Two families stashed away billions of dollars in foreign banks.”

The prime minister in a veiled reference to the then US President Barack Obama and Nawaz Sharif meeting said that the former prime minister kept on trembling with fear that his words might make Obama angry.

He said such a leadership could sell Pakistan for the sake of their corruption and petty interests and referred to an Indian journalist Burkha Dutt’s book that claimed that Sharif held secret meetings with Indian Premier Modi.

About the Memogate scandal, he said former Pakistan ambassador to the US Hussain Haqqani was tasked to convey a message to Washington to save Zardari from the army. Similarly, “the objective of the Dawn Leaks was a futile attempt by Sharif to blame the armed forces of Pakistan”. Modi had been falsely blaming former army chief General Raheel Sharif whereas Sharif was inviting him to marriage ceremonies.

The prime minister expressed that the armed forces of Pakistan were fully capable of defending the country.

During the 10 years of the PPP and PML-N rule, about 400 drone attacks were recorded on Pakistan’s territory. They (the US) never felt ashamed that Pakistan had been fighting their war and bracing the drone attacks in return.

“Not a single international law allows such act of ‘judge, jury and execution’,” the prime minister said, adding that due to that war on terror, the country suffered 80,000 casualties, besides 3.5 million people were displaced.

He said that he had never been against any country, including the US and the UK, because “you cannot be against the people of any particular country”. “You could be against certain policies pursued by a country,” he said, insisting upon his opposition to the US-led war on terror.

He said that he also participated in a demonstration in the US against the invasion of Iraq.

The prime minister said that unless India revoked its controversial and unilateral steps of August 5, 2019 on Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir, no dialogue could be held.

In India, Hindutva ideology was being opposed by the learned segments of society, but in the presence of fascists, the people were facing the worst persecution, he added.

(With input from app)