People of Pakistan need to stand up for their rights: Imran Khan
GUJRANWALA, Nov 02 (SABAH): Former prime minister and Chairman Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Imran Khan on Wednesday said that the people of Pakistan need to stand up for their rights as he resumed the party’s ‘Haqeeqi Long March’ from Gujranwala on Day 6. He said that their movement will not finish upon reaching Islamabad but it will continue for next 10 months.
While addressing the participants on the start of the sixth day, Imran Khan said “Justice is only given in human society and you will have to support me. It is better to die than be a slave,” Imran Khan said. The former prime minister further questioned the deaths of officers investigating corruption cases against Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and said all officers died one after another.
“No one asked how they all died of a sudden and then Imran Raza, another officer conducting the inquiry, died later. Reiterating that the system cannot be fixed until the powerful are brought under the law”, Imran Khan said and added hidden hands were helping so the incumbent government’s leadership does not get arrested. He said that there is no progress in a society till there is justice.
“Non-provision of justice is our biggest problem,” he said and added that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was set to be sentenced in the Rs16 billion corruption case. “Fifty years ago, Pakistan was developing rapidly. Our country cannot develop unless there is justice,” he said. He added that the accountability watchdog was never under his control when PTI was in power.
“Those who were controlling NAB saved them,” Imran Khan said and added that ever since the thieves have been imposed on the country; electricity prices have been skyrocketing. “The cases against him have started to end, NRO is being provided. Zardari’s cases have also started finishing,” he added.
“Yesterday they used to say they are thieves, today they say NRO has been given, they are clean,” said Imran Khan. He claimed that the incumbent government has made corruption laws that will only convict “petty thieves”. He also lamented that Pakistan’s biggest issue is that corrupt people get into leadership without any accountability.
Later in the day, while addressing, he said that their movement will not finish upon reaching Islamabad but to continue for next 10 months. While doing politics for over 26 years in the people, he said, “I have reached here. But all other politicians were nourished in the nursery of army. Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto remained minister in General Ayub’s tenure while Nawaz Sharif became prime minister by serving General Geelani. We have won the math. They have nothing to lose.
He questioned to whom the USA asked to remove him from the position of premiership. Who were involved in silencing slain senior journalist Arshad Sharif, he said, who was intimidating the journalists.
He said that death was preferable to slavery and added he will not ever accept this government and no one should be in confusion in this regard. He vowed to keep his march on till the holding of general elections in the country.
Following the speech, Senator Faisal Javed Khan asked people to take the party’s oath. PTI Sindh Chief Syed Ali Haider Zaidi said that the party’s caravan from Sindh has departed Khanewal and will reach Gujrat by tonight.
Fawad Chaudhry rejected ‘rumours’ that the party’s long march was losing steam as he addressed the media earlier in the day from the march’s venue. “The march is really bothering Rana Sanaullah and Maryam [Nawaz]. [They keep asking] why is it so slow, why are they not reaching this destination or that. So I just want to say, that we will go as per our wishes, not as you desire,” he stated.
“When will we reach Islamabad, which day will we arrive in Pindi, we will give you a date and we will change the date,” he added inviting political rivals to do the guesswork every day of the march’s arrival.
Fawad also claimed that demonstrations larger than the ones taking place in Pakistan were being held outside Avenfield where Maryam Nawaz was residing. “When will we reach Islamabad, which day will we arrive in Pindi, we will give you a date and we will change the date,” he added inviting political rivals to do “the guesswork every day” of the march’s arrival.
Fawad also claimed that demonstrations “larger than the ones taking place” in Pakistan were being held outside Avenfield where Maryam Nawaz was residing. Praising the protestors in London for their efforts, the PTI leader said “I pay tribute to the overseas Pakistanis, especially our friends in London. The consistency and the manner in which you have put an end to attempts of dissolving Pakistan’s stolen wealth, the way you protest there, you must be congratulated.”