Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan once again criticised the government and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif over the Panama Leaks issue and said that he will go to the ends of the earth to resolve this issue, even if no other political party stands by him.
“We will go till the end to expose the corrupt, even if we have to walk alone or take it to the streets again,”
Khan addressed a huge public gathering in Faislabad on Friday night, about an hour later than his usual time, keeping in view the extremely hot weather.
Before starting his address, Khan announced that former Pakistan People’s Party leader from Faisalabad, Raja Riaz, was joining the PTI. However, Riaz was not given an opportunity to make a speech on the occasion.
Imran said during his speech that only four questions were asked of the prime minister regarding the issue but instead of answering them, he had resorted to recounting tales of past woe in a bid to confuse the matter.
He said that the PM lied in the National Assembly (NA) about the property he owned overseas.
“A corrupt ruler cannot hold others responsible for corruption and, thus, is required to be free of corruption himself,” Imran said.
Regarding allegations about his own sources of earning, Imran said selling of his flat in London helped him own property in Bani Gala and earn a living.
He said that the Pakistani nation ranks fourth among the nations that pay the most charity in the world; however, at the same time they also pay the least amount of tax in the world.
The PTI chairman said the government had taken a huge amount of loans in the past three years, which will have to be returned by the poor people of the country. He added that he is ready to be held accountable by any auditor regarding his assets. He said that inflation in the country is on the rise, further adding that the people are being made to pay huge taxes on fuel, commodities, phones and everything else they purchase.
He said that the corrupt people in the country never present themselves for accountability. He said that it has become difficult to do business in the country as there is so much corruption. Khan said that a small number of people in the country are becoming rich.
He said that the factories in the country are closing which is giving rise to unemployment, adding that people are shifting towards the real estate business after selling their factories. He said that the farmers and labourers are not getting anything out of the hard work they are doing.
“We are witnessing a closure of factories in Faisalabad and a rise in poverty, unemployment and inflation, burdening common people with more taxes as a result,” Imran maintained.
He said that he has been pointing out for the past 20 years that those in power are using the opportunity to make large sums of money.
Imran Khan said he is extremely thankful to the women who are attending the rally especially after the unfortunate incidents that took place in the party’s events in Lahore and Islamabad and apologised over the treatment with women in the party’s previous gatherings.
He said that Pakistan is the name of a wonderful dream which was formed as a result of the struggle of the Muslims of the region. He said that everyone will be treated equally regardless of their religion in the version of Pakistan that he wishes to promote.
A video showing contradictory statements of the Sharif family members including Maryam Nawaz, Hassan and Hussain Nawaz, PM Nawaz Sharif and Interior Minister Chaudhary Nisar Ali Khan over the Panama Leaks issue, the family’s business and the properties that they own was also played during the public gathering.