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Says Nawaz Sharif, PPP co-chairman deceive people through rhetoric of development
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Demands authorities make public report of joint investigation team on Uzair Baloch
SEHWAN: Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on Sunday lambasted Pakistan People’s Party Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari, saying after Nawaz Sharif it was now his turn to face accountability and that “Zardari and corruption have become synonyms”.
He said that unprecedented levels of corruption exist in the collection of taxes in Pakistan, adding that the country is being looted by the corrupt mafia.
In his address in Sehwan, he talked about the budget deficit of Pakistan and the amount of corruption, saying that work is required to improve the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), which, in turn, would make available funds for the provision of basic necessities such as infrastructure and education.
Together with Zardari, Imran also criticised Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Nawaz Sharif, saying they were trying to fool people through the rhetoric of development.
Zardari duped people using the slogan of ‘roti, kapra and makaan’ [food, clothes and house] while Nawaz kept chanting that he will make Pakistan an Asian Tiger, he said.
“Nawaz just made his family an Asian Tiger,” he claimed, adding “look at what he did with the people.”
Country’s “biggest dacoits” Nawaz and Zardari have looted Pakistanis, he claimed, adding that because of these politicians policies every Pakistani has a debt of Rs120,000.
On Nawaz claiming that he was disqualified as prime minister of Pakistan over iqama and not Panama case, Imran said that “iqama is a way of laundering money.”
Imran even mentioned the testimony of Lyari gang war kingpin Uzair Baloch and asked Zardari to explain his involvement with the gangster.
“Zardari should speak about what Uzair Baloch has said about him and tell the nation all that he has done.”
Baloch claimed that he committed murders on Zardari’s orders and that he illegally confiscated 14 sugar mills in the province and sold it at minimal prices to Zardari, said Imran. “What is this if not corrupt mafia?”
He demanded of the authorities to make public the report of the joint investigation team on Baloch.
“I am always standing with helpless and powerless people,” Imran claimed, adding that if he comes to power he will finish class divide. “We will ensure that there is the same law for the weak and the powerful.”
Presenting the example of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, he said KP has become the most peaceful province. He praised the Sindh police and vowed to upgrade the force on the pattern of KP. He claimed that poverty level in KP has decreased by 50 per cent.
He also vowed to clean sweep Sindh in the 2018 general elections.
Addressing the rally, PTI Vice-Chairman Shah Mehmood Qureshi criticised the Sindh government and said that Murad Ali Shah proved to be an unsuccessful chief minister.
PPP has ruled over Sindh since past 10 years, he remarked, asking “what has the party done for you?”
The scenic Gorakh Hills are part of the Sindh but the government has not invested to improve or maintain the tourist spot.
“The cruel rulers are accumulating wealth from the national treasury,” he said.
Earlier, Khan reached the rally venue and was joined by top party leaders, including Liaquat Jatoi, Shah Mehmood Qureshi, and Jahangir Tareen. The party chief visited the shrine of Lal Shahbaz Qalandar and then arrived at the rally venue.
Scores of workers gathered for the rally and chanted slogans in favour of PTI.
Former Sindh chief minister and PTI’s local leader, Liaquat Ali Jatoi, said the organisers placed 40,000 chairs at Lal Bahadur Ground for the public gathering, whereas 80,000 would be able to attend the rally while standing.
Moreover, around 1,000 police personnel were deployed to secure the event.
In a video message on Saturday, Imran said that Sindh, in comparison to the other provinces, is in dire need of reforms.
“People of Sindh have been looted the most and that is the reason that the province needs a fresh start,” Imran said.
He added that farmers don’t have access to water as feudal lords continue to rule the province.
The PPP—Sindh’s ruling party—has a strong voter base in the province.
PPP’s Murad Ali Shah, the present chief minister of Sindh, also hails from Sehwan.
Earlier, PTI MNA Arif Alvi said his party will rid Sindh province of thieves and plunderers.
Speaking to the media in Sehwan, the PTI leader said the people of the province had become weary of traditional politics and wanted change.
He said PTI chairman Imran Khan can bring about the change in the province. When Khan decided to raise any issue, he didn’t rest until he got it addressed, he added.
Alvi said the party staged a 126-day protest demonstration against alleged rigging in the 2013 general elections, and brought the Panama Papers scam to its logical conclusion.
The time has come to drive the corrupt people out of the province, he opined.
In an apparent move to garner support for the upcoming general elections in 2018, the PTI leaders have accelerated their activism in the interior Sindh lately.
It is important to note the convention was held on the same day when PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari addressed a political gathering in Peshawar.