- Says leaders are running Pakistan like the East India Company
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan has alleged that the Nawaz-Jindal meeting led to the staying of Kulbhushan Jadhav death sentence by the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
Speaking at a rally in Quetta, Khan said the joint investigation team (JIT), formed by the Supreme Court in Panama Leaks case, should investigate Sharif family’s businesses outside the country.
“The JIT should also investigate as to who are the Sharif family’s business partners in India,” he demanded.
He lamented that the country is being ruled by companies owned by influential political families.
The PTI chief said that it was East India Company in the past, but now there’s Sharif family’s company ruling the country. “Sindh is being ruled by Zardari family’s company, in Balochistan its Fazlur Rehman and Achakzai companies, in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa we have Asfandyar’s companies,” he said.
The PTI chief said these companies are getting richer, whereas the people are getting poorer and poorer.
“All your taxes go to the government and those in power steal this money, which is then laundered outside the country,” Khan said, while speaking to participants of the rally. “This money should be used for the welfare of the people, building schools, development projects in Balochistan.”
‘Nawaz Sharif, people want you to speak the truth’:
Pakistan is full of natural resources, and with the current potential it can become the richest country in the world, Khan said.
“If the laundered money is spent on the youth in the country, it will help develop assets for us in the form of skilled individuals,” he said.
Giving the examples of Germany and Japan, the PTI chairman said that these countries invested on their own people and now they are developed countries.
On the Panama Papers case, he said, “Nawaz Sharif, the people want you to speak the truth. They ask you, what business interests do you have outside Pakistan?”
He also urged Pakistanis living abroad to bring forward information on the foreign businesses of Nawaz Sharif.
Discussing recent steps taken by the incumbent government to control anti-state content on social media, the PTI chief described these acts as an attempt to silence the voice of masses.
“Don’t mess with PTI’s social media workers,” he warned.
Narrating his interaction with Balochistan’s police officials, the PTI chief claimed that the policemen had kept asking him to bring police reforms in Balochistan like the ones he had brought in KP.
“Please remember, until the police are reformed people’s lives are not safe; and until their lives are not safe there is no welfare or happiness or business. People are scared,” he said.
People in KP trust the police because it is transparent, he said, adding that it was “an example for the rest of Pakistan”.
Balochistan police need to reach the level of KP police, and we will make it happen, said Imran Khan.
The PTI demonstrated its political strength by holding a rally at Quetta’s Ayub Stadium.
Earlier, PTI Balochistan chapter’s president, Sardar Yar Muhammad Rind accompanied Imran Khan to the venue of the rally.
PTI leaders Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Jehangir Tareen and Awami Muslim League (AML) chief Sheikh Rasheed were also present alongside the PTI chief.
Stern security measures were in place to thwart any untoward incident, while separate seating arrangements were made for women participants at the rally.
Addressing the participants earlier, Jehangir Tareen said the rulers have only filled their pockets to this date. He promised that his party will put looters in jail.
Admitting that the rulers neglected Balochistan, he vowed to end deprivation of the province after his party came into power.
“The rulers of Balochistan also played politics in the name of the province,” Tareen said.
