Imran says PM insulted parliament by lying on floor of the House

• PTI chief says his party will fight in parliament, in courts and in the streets to resist govt’s efforts to sweep Panama Papers issue under the rug
• Slams PM’s foreign policy, says PM missed the opportunity for peace with India and Afghanistan

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on Thursday said Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had jeopardised the supremacy of the parliament by blatantly lying on the floor of the House about the properties he purchased in London.

He said that by lying, the leader of the House himself had brought an insult to the parliament.

In a detailed discussion with senior journalists and editors at his Bani Gala residence, Imran Khan said that the government bears the responsibility to ensure supremacy of the parliament.

“What is the worth of the parliament when PM lies on the floor of the House and claims that the flats were bought in 2005 even though his own ministers have said on record that the flats were purchased in the 1990s when Nawaz Sharif was prime minister?” Imran Khan said, and added, “The opposition put seven questions before the prime minister regarding Panamagate but the prime minister could not answer even one.”

Khan said that strengthening the parliament is the responsibility of the government and not the opposition.

“How can the parliament be strengthened when rather than answering serious questions on Panama Leaks accusations, the PM is blackmailing the opposition. Rather than hurling threats, the prime minister should take action against any of the opposition party leaders if they have done something wrong. Hurling threats and not taking action against the corrupt is the blackmail tactic of the mafia,” he said.

Imran claimed that despite spending billions of rupees on media advertisements, misusing taxpayer’s money, the prime minister will still not get himself out of the Panama Leaks mess.

PTI HAS A PLAN:

The PTI chief said his party has adopted a three-pronged strategy to ensure that the prime minister doesn’t avoid accountability.

“PTI has a plan to fight the Panama Leaks case on three fronts. We will give the government a tough time in the parliament; we will challenge the matter in the courts and as a last resort, we will take the fight to the street. We will not allow the prime minister run away with the looted money,” he added.

FAILED FOREIGN POLICY:

Imran Khan accused the prime minister of ignoring the country’s foreign policy by not appointing a full time foreign minister.

“Today, Pakistan faces a serious foreign policy crisis. Neither the Foreign Office is functional, nor is there a political vision to deal with the issue as the premier is running from pillar to post just to save his foreign assets. Unfortunately, due to the prime minister’s decision to keep the Foreign Ministry under his control, the FO has lost its ability to have a coherent foreign policy,” he added.

Khan claimed that with such a huge debt burden, no country can assert an independent foreign policy.

“We have borrowed Rs 5 trillion in the past five years. Now, we have to borrow a similar amount for debt servicing. We can’t ever have a robust foreign policy without getting rid of foreign debts,” he said.

Khan blamed Nawaz Sharif for missing the opportunity to normalise ties with the country’s neighbours, India and Afghanistan, due to his flawed foreign policy.

“When a prime minister tells his Indian counterpart that he is afraid of his own army, what progress can there be in relations. Thanks to the prime minister, the Indians now have the impression that the Pakistan army is a hurdle in the normalisation of ties. Wherever I went in India, I was confronted with this same question,” he added.

KHAN IS OKAY WITH PPP LEADING THE CHARGE ON TORS:

Khan said that the PTI is not concerned if the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) takes a lead in framing the Terms of Reference (TORs) for the enquiry commission on Panama Papers.

“We don’t believe in political mileage. We would rather bring the culprits to justice.”

But Khan warned the PPP that if backed away from the Panama Papers probe, it would expose them before the nation.

Khan said that his party is preparing itself for the upcoming polls which according to his understanding will be held this year. He said that the people of Pakistan should not be underestimated.

“Wherever I go I find people ready for change. The public anger is now stronger than in 1970.”

“The youth is vigilant and wants a clean leadership and social media is vibrant place to expose the crooks. The atrocities committed by Israel were only exposed due to social media as the conventional media had been bought and paid for by the Zionist regime,” Khan said.

The PTI chief also said that the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government will prove to be a model in the upcoming polls. He said an independent, credible accountability, institutional de-politicisation and human resource development will be the main policy points for his party when it comes to power.

“We are preparing for elections this winter. We will not accept a compromise decision by the PM and the opposition leader. This will block all possibility of change which is unacceptable,” he said and added that the party is swiftly learning from past mistakes.

Khan said a presidential form of government is not possible in Pakistan as Punjab is too big and the smaller provinces will not accept it.