If an impartial inquiry by Supreme Court judges proves that last year's general elections were free and fair, the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf will call off its sit-in, PTI Chairman Imran Khan said on Thursday.
He was addressing a gathering at the Constitution Avenue.
But if the committee rules that rigging did in fact take place, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif must step down, he said. Khan asked for an inquiry committee led by Justice (retd) Nasir Aslam Zahid to investigate rigging allegations within a month.
He said the PTI would follow India's example in bringing back national financial assets stolen by corrupt officials and holding them accountable for their actions.
He said Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given the Swiss authorities a list of 627 people asking to hand over their financial assets to the government. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and former president Asif Zardari have also stashed their ill-gotten gains in Swiss banks, Khan alleged.
Pakistan's ruling elite has built financial empires through dirty money and have never been held accountable, he said. Sharif is a billionaire, yet he paid Rs5,000 in taxes five years ago, Imran Khan added.
Imran Khan also slammed the government's economic policies and called Finance Minister Ishaq Dar 'incompetent'. He said the government was considering raising the electricity tariff by Rs1.5 per unit. "How is it that electricity theft actually went up during the PML-N’s tenure," he asked.
Khan admitted that the proper forum to raise such questions was parliament. "But the people in parliament have a fake mandate. They don't talk about the common man... they are only trying to protect each other's interests."
Meanwhile, Federal Minister for Information, Broadcasting and National Heritage Senator Pervaiz Rashid said the government was ready to resume talks with PTI.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 7th, 2014.
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U turn. Please stay in Darna till 2018 if PM does not resign. Unless of course you are not a man of your work IK
Where is the PM resignation?All your drama was about PM resignation.Now another U-turn