Imran doesn’t want to pick ‘fight with anyone’

PTI chief insists his peaceful march aims at seeking fresh elections

LAHORE:

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan said on Sunday he did not “want a fight with anyone” rather desired to pursue an independent foreign policy of the country that only served the interests of Pakistan and the Pakistanis.

Addressing participants of the PTI’s ‘Haqeeqi Azadi March’ simultaneously in Faisalabad, Kharian and Nowshera via a video link from Lahore, Imran emphasised that he wanted the US policy towards Pakistan same as its policy towards India.

Imran hit back at the ruling coalition parties’ allegation of isolating Pakistan at the global level. “I did not want a fight with anyone but want to pursue an independent foreign policy. A policy that is in the interest of Pakistan and the Pakistanis,” he told supporters. “We want the American foreign policy same as its policy towards India.”

He questioned incumbent government’s foreign policy, which he claimed, had not benefited Pakistan at the global level” in the last seven months. “I was invited twice to visit England, my children are also there, but it was not in the interest of my country, so I declined the offer,” he added.

Imran repeated his earlier claims that he had told the “handlers of the regime-change operation” that they could not control the economy if the “conspiracy” against the PTI government succeeded. “I knew that those who ruined the economy cannot fix it,” he said.

Imran also fired a broadside against former prime minister and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif. He said that Nawaz did not want fresh election in the country because he was afraid that he could not win through ballot.

“At present, the fate of the country is being decided in London. An absconder is being consulted on elections and appointment of the new army chief,” Imran said. He [Nawaz] is afraid, they he cannot win through ballot box. They are just trying to protect their stolen wealth parked in different countries.”

Referring to the criticism that the PTI long march was moving too slowly, Imran said that those who were propagating against the march took to the streets thrice on the pretext of inflation when the PTI was in power. “They wanted to put pressure on the [PTI] government to get an NRO,” he said.

“But the PTI’s Haqeeqi Azadi March is different from them. I am not marching towards Islamabad to seek an NRO, rather I’m trying to get free and fair elections in the country,” the PTI chairman told the party supporters. “Our peaceful march is the democratic right of all citizens of Pakistan.”

Imran said that the purpose of the long march was to wake up the nation. “If we do not teach the youth how to protest in a constitutional way, this country will become like Sri Lanka. Anger is mounting in the past seven months and they are now protesting peacefully.”

Imran pointed out that inflation is at an all-time high in the country, while large-scale manufacturing, which was growing at record rate of 26% during the PTI government, had nosedived. Besides, he continued, all economic indicators were in the negative.

Imran said that he was a former prime minister of Pakistan and the leader of the country’s biggest political party but still he was unable to lodge a first information report (FIR) against the persons behind the assassination attempt on him in Wazirabad earlier this month.

“What will happen to the common citizens,” Imran asked. He said that the justice system of the country was so compromised that small robbers were put behind bars and big thieves and money launderers get NRO. “I request the chief justice of Pakistan to side with the people and bring everyone under the law,” he added.

Referring to the killing of journalist Arshad Sharif, Imran said that “everybody knows that he was forced to leave the country, and later the UAE, and brutally killed in Kenya”. He also mentioned that PTI Senator Azam Khan Swati was tortured in custody and later his private video was leaked.

The PTI chief asked the chief justice to give justice to Arshad Sharif’s family. He also asked the apex court to provide justice to Senator Swati. “I ask the apex court if a senator cannot get justice in the country what will be the end of this,” he maintained.

In his address, Imran also expressed condolences to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the people of Turkey over Sunday’s bomb blast. The blast that rocked Turkey’s financial and cultural hub of Istanbul killed at least six people, and injured more than 50.