PTI will join PAT’s protest from Jan 17: Imran Khan

• Every Pakistani wants to see peace and stability in Afghanistan, Imran tells Afghan envoy 
• Imran says Punjab government has failed to protect citizens that’s why people look up to the army chief, CJP Nisar for help 

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan on Thursday said that his party will join Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) chief Tahirul Qadri on Jan 17 when he will launch his grand protest against the government.

Addressing media in Islamabad, the PTI chief said that the people have stopped trusting the government and police, adding that when trust on the institutions ends then people take to streets to protest.

He was referring to the Model Town incident–for which PAT is out on roads–and the protests surrounding the Kasur tragedy.

IMRAN URGES FOR MEASURES TO CURB INCIDENTS OF CHILD ABUSE: Alluding to the increasing incidents of child abuse in the country, PTI chief Imran Khan urged the need for action to assure that such incidents don’t take place anymore.

“After the APS attack, we saw the formulation of the National Action Plan (NAP). The question remains what we should do now. Have we formulated any system to keep our girls safe,” asked Imran.

Criticising police and the government machinery over their failure to protect citizens, Imran Khan said: “The parents of the seven-year-old Zainab are also demanding justice from the army chief and chief justice, not from the Punjab police and government. The police which is supposed to protect people is busy protecting one family.”

He said that the PTI-led government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has brought reforms in the department to make the force efficient; however, in Punjab, only the uniforms were changed. “In Kasur, police fired straight at the protesters, which professional force acts this way?” questioned the PTI chief.

Reiterating his opinion that the Punjab police is highly politicised, he claimed that all the recruitments in the provincial police force are done from Raiwind. “Criminals were inducted into the police force to protect the Sharifs,” said Imran. He further said that the Sharifs have 2,500 policemen for their security and have spent Rs7 billion on security for themselves.

The PTI chief also brought up the Kasur scandal of 2015 saying if that had been taken seriously, the country would not have had to face what took place recently.

Reiterating the fact that the recent Kasur murder case was the 12th of its type, Imran stated these incidents have instilled fear in the hearts of parents.

“How can Rana Sanaullah say it is the fault of the parents,” asked Imran, further saying the Punjab government can do nothing except suspending police officials.

In further criticism on the Punjab government, he said that the bereaved of the Model Town killings are still on the streets demanding justice.

PAKISTAN WANTS PEACE IN AFGHANISTAN:

Separately, in a meeting with Afghanistan’s ambassador to Pakistan Omar Zakhilwal Imran Khan said that every Pakistani wishes to see peace and stability in Afghanistan.

The bilateral relations between both the countries and matters of mutual interest were also discussed during the meeting held in Islamabad.

No other country in the world needs a peaceful Afghanistan more than Pakistan, Imran remarked.

He further said that the future of bilateral ties between both Pakistan and Afghanistan is based on coexistence.

The PTI chief, while saying that the people of Pakistan have nothing but respect for their neighbours, added that the Afghan refugees were being treated like “guests” in Pakistan.

He said that the closure of the Pak-Afghan border was not a solution to the issues, adding that ease of movement and free-trade across the borders was in the positive interests of both the countries.

“The geography makes us inseparable from each other,” said the PTI chief.

Imran’s remarks from today, however, were in contradiction to his statement over the issue from earlier this month.

In a statement released by the PTI official twitter handle regarding the ongoing foreign policy crisis sparked following tweet from President Trump, Imran was quoted saying that “Pakistan has suffered 70,000 casualties and more than $100b in losses to the economy, not to mention the polarisation and radicalisation of our society”.