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Imran arrives in Karachi to oversee PTI’s membership drive
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He lashes out at rulers, says federal govt lacks mandate to privatise PIA
KARACHI: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on Sunday said that he would contest the 2018 general elections from Karachi.
Addressing a gathering in Gulistan-e-Jauhar area of Karachi, he said that it would be the first time the city would get the best chance for change, adding that Karachi was the city that used to run the affairs of the entire country and was the city where people came to spend vacations.
Imran further said Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) had the highest rate of terrorism but had become peaceful.
Earlier on Sunday, Imran arrived in Karachi on his two-day trip to oversee the party’s membership campaign for the provincial capital.
Imran claimed that 90 per cent of the population of Pakistan had no access to justice and asked whether the state was willing to take responsibility for serving the underprivileged class. He noted that eighty per cent of the people could not afford treatment for cancer.
He said, “The law and order situation cannot improve unless the police system is improved and it is the responsibility of the police to perform their duties in Karachi not Rangers.”
The PTI chief said that “politics of terrorism” had finally ended in the metropolitan while the administration failed to perform its duties, admitting that the Karachi Mayor Waseem Akhtar was right to say that powers were not given to local bodies institutions. He said, “Change will not come unless a mayor with authority comes into power.”
In a small demonstration held against the privatisation of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), he said that the federal government had no mandate to privatise PIA, adding that nowhere in the world such practices of selling out national institutions were adopted.
He said that after coming into power PTI would make PIA a world class airline and the entire country would be proud of it.
He further said that it was unfortunate that the steel mills were suffering losses while Sharif brothers’ were earning billions.
“National institution are not for sale and we have proved that by running the affairs of Khyber Bank rather than selling it out,” he said, adding that there was a need of ending political interference and running the institutional affairs with honesty for better results.
The state owned enterprises are national assets.
The key to make them successful is to end political intervention in them#AaoKarachiKiBaatKareinpic.twitter.com/hUIF55Q0ZN— PTI Karachi Official (@PTI_KHI) March 4, 2018
PTI chairman was optimistic that his party would form next government in all provinces including the federation. He said that only three months were left in the incumbent government’s tenure and the next government would be of PTI which will then act to end corruption and the destruction of national institutions.
On the occasion, he also planted a sapling outside the airport and inaugurated the billion tree Tsunami campaign.
Chairman @ImranKhanPTI plants a tree to contribute to Karachi’s #MillionTreeTsunami Campaign
As an ecological turn around is necessary for Karachi as well#AaoKarachiKiBaatKarein pic.twitter.com/U7vuTsYtEh— PTI Karachi Official (@PTI_KHI) March 4, 2018
Imran is scheduled to visit numerous party camps, including those on PIB Colony, Gulistan-e-Jauhar, Naval Colony Liaquatabad and others for the membership drive.
Apart from meeting the party leaders, the PTI chief is expected to address a public rally today at Burns Road around 9:00 pm.