‘Ruling elite’ has no appreciation for Pakistan’s majestic beauty, says PM Imran

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Prime Minister Imran Khan on Saturday said that the “ruling elite” had no interest in Pakistan which is why there were agitating against the placement of their names on the no-fly list.

Taking to micro-blogging website Twitter, PM Khan shared videos of the country’s landscape treasures while adding that those put on the ECL had no appreciation for the country’s beauty.

“The majestic beauty and diversity of our land are unparalleled. Sadly, this beauty is not appreciated by our ruling elite which is why ECL is such a calamity for them,” he tweeted.

“The captivating grandeur of our land is why I would be happy just remaining confined here working for our people,” he added.

Earlier on Thursday, the federal cabinet approved the removal of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari as well as Sindh Chief Minister (CM) Murad Ali Shah’s names from the ECL following the Supreme Court’s (SC) verdict on the matter, ordering the incumbent government to exclude the PPP leaders from the list.

On Thursday, PM Imran and Bilawal indulged in a verbal spar on Twitter after the former wondered why some lawmakers were so “keen to go abroad”.

Imran’s comment came at a time when his government is facing extreme pressure to remove the name of 172 suspects, especially Bilawal and Murad Ali Shah, from ECL.

The “hasty” decision, as Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi called it, was taken after a joint investigation team probing the fake accounts case against the PPP leadership, suggested the government to place 172 people on ECL.

The decision was criticised by the opposition parties and the Supreme Court, which had urged the government to review its decision. Moreover, a written order was also issued by the top court, directing removal of Bilawal and Murad from ECL.

Taking a jibe at the opposition for agitating over the issue, Imran tweeted: “Why are some of our lawmakers so scared of the ECL? Why are they so keen to go abroad? There is so much work to be done by politicians in and for Pakistan — the land they claim to love but some cannot wait to take frequent trips abroad and lawmakers have iqamas or residencies abroad.”

Retweeting his earlier tweet, he asked whether anyone could explain “this strange phenomenon to those of us who would be quite happy to remain in and work for Pakistan because we actually love Pakistan”.

The tweet didn’t go down well with PPP chief and MNA Bilawal, who schooled the PM on the concept of human rights and freedom of movement.

Calling Imran Khan a “selected PM”– an allegation which the PTI chairman has faced frequently– Bilawal also called out Imran for making seven foreign trips in spite of his promise to stay in the country for the first six months of his government.

“Obviously selected PM doesn’t understand the concept of human rights or freedom of movement. Funny it’s only the opposition members on ECL, government members are busy travelling. Including PM who despite promising not to travel for 1st 6months has made more than 7 trips so far!” he tweeted.

The PPP chairman also criticised the premier on the floor of the National Assembly. He said the PM doesn’t have the “courage to speak to us face-to-face in parliament”.

“It would have been better if the prime minister actually came to the House and spoke about these matters instead of tweeting them,” Bilawal said in an apparent reference to Imran’s less than 20 per cent attendance in NA sessions.

Bilawal said that the Supreme Court had ordered that his name should be removed from ECL, but [instead of complying] the prime minister proceeded to tweet about it.

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