Islamabad-based businessman Raja Jahangir Akhtar has announced that he will be going on a hunger strike until death starting today in a protest against rampant corruption within the government.
The 68-year-old will start his fast at 4:30 pm to press the government to introduce a bill in the parliament against corruption and to cut the budget of the armed forces.
He said his protest was aimed at wiping out corruption from the country. Akhtar said he would be the Anna Hazare of Pakistan, even though he had announced his decision to go on strike before Anna went on strike, but had postponed the programme due to Ramadan.
Being a kidney patient, Akhtar will not desist from drinking water during his protest. Akhtar has been struggling for the past 48 years to express his views on the economic situation of Pakistan and has had to face imprisonment for his candid views.
He expressed hope that his strike would draw the attention from the media, common public, MP’s and anyone else convinced of the necessity of an anti-corruption bill being introduced in the National Assembly, and funds being directed away from the military budget and towards tackling issues that affected the population, like the nation’s derelict power sector.
Pakistani ‘Anna Hazare’ to go on hunger strike today
