Oppression will end when nation rejects subjugation: Salman Akram Raja

کراچی سے لیکر حیدرآباد تک جس طرح عوام نکلی ہے جگہ جگہ استقبال ہوا ہے لوگوں نے پیغام دیا ہے کہ وہ امن پسند اور جمہوری قوتوں کے ساتھ کھڑے ہیں ۔

بیریسٹر سلمان اکرم راجہ@salmanAraja pic.twitter.com/Vo42XXrefv

He said according to government surveys, 80 percent of citizens have experienced a deterioration in their quality of life, while a similar proportion has reduced spending on food due to inflation. He added that the urban middle class has been hit the hardest, with 23 percent of the urban population witnessing a fall in income and living standards.

Questioning the government’s performance, Zubair said: “When people’s lives have gone downhill over the past four years, the question must be asked — what exactly has the government achieved?”

He criticised the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC), stating that it had failed to attract investment and that overall investment had fallen by 50 percent, calling it proof of the institution’s failure.

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Zubair further revealed that 30 million people had fallen below the poverty line in the past three years. He said foreign investment from the United States and the Middle East was not forthcoming due to the absence of the rule of law, adding that even Pakistani investors were now demanding the right to international arbitration before investing.

Holding Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif primarily responsible for the economic downturn, Zubair recalled that the prime minister had promised to fix the economy within six months — a pledge he said had not been fulfilled.

He also highlighted the decline in foreign exchange reserves, noting that reserves stood at over $17 billion at the time of the no-confidence motion, but had fallen to $2.9 billion by January 2023. He said the threat of default in June 2023 emerged after the IMF programme was damaged.

تحریکِ عدم اعتماد کے وقت ایک بہانہ یہ بنایا گیا کہ پاکستان ڈیفالٹ ہونیوالا تھا کیونکہ زرِ مبادلہ کے ذخائر بہت کم ہوگئے تھے۔ ابھی پرسوں کی رپورٹ ہے کہ جنوری 2022 میں جب تحریکِ عدم اعتماد کا فیصلہ کیا گیا تھا اس وقت زرمبادلہ کے ذخائر کی مالیت 17.2 ارب ڈالر تھی جو اۤج جا کر 16 ارب… pic.twitter.com/TWVips3Gm3

On corruption, Zubair demanded clarification over NAB’s claims of recovering Rs5,300 billion, asking from whom the money was recovered and who had been punished. He pointed to major scandals including the Rs300 billion wheat scandal, Rs300 billion sugar scandal, and admitted losses of Rs300 billion annually through petroleum smuggling, as acknowledged by the petroleum minister.

Addressing political restrictions, Salman Akram Raja said that despite the issuance of an NOC for a public rally, police cordoned off the area, made arrests and harassed stage and sound system providers. “Despite all this, the rally will go ahead,” he asserted.

He said PTI supports the privatisation of PIA in principle, but warned that serious concerns exist regarding transparency and workers’ rights, and that exploitation in the name of privatisation would not be tolerated.

Raja further stated that those responsible for destroying state institutions and those involved in corruption must be held accountable. He lamented that the courts and parliament had become mere façades and that the country had effectively turned into “a prison.”

He said Article 15 of the Constitution, which guarantees freedom of movement to every citizen, was being violated, stressing that the struggle for public rights and freedoms had become unavoidable.

“The day the nation decides it will no longer accept a life of subjugation,” he concluded, “this oppression will come to an end on its own.”