Imran Khan says his party’s planned anti-govt long march would begin between 25th to 29th May due to some ‘new developments’
MULTAN, May 20 (SABAH): Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman and former prime minister Imran Khan on Friday said that his party’s planned anti-government long march would begin between 25th to 29th May due to some “new developments”. “There have been some new developments recently and all the dissenting members have been disqualified. On Sunday in Peshawar, I have called the PTI’s Core Committee meeting [to choose a final date of the long march],” he said. The ousted premier said that the long march will begin between May 25 to 29 and everybody will know about the exact day after Sunday’s meeting. He said that the PTI will demand only one thing during its long march that is the date of the general election after dissolving assemblies. “It is not about politics anymore… What we’re witnessing is a revolution,” he added. Imran Khan said that it is our demand that the assemblies should be dissolved immediately and date for new elections should be announced.
Imran Khan made the announcement while addressing a public gathering at Multan’s Qila Kohna Qasim Bagh Stadium.
At the beginning of his address, the former prime minister thanked the people of Multan for giving him a warm welcome and added that he always prayed to Allah to awaken the conscience of the people of Pakistan so that the nation “does not bow before thieves, robbers, mafia or a superpower.”
He also thanked the woman and youth of Multan for attending his rally, adding that no revolution could be “successful” unless and until the women and youth partake in it.
The former prime minister said that the fear and humiliation of losing jobs “turns a big man into a small one”, and added that till the shackles of such fear are not broken, the country will not turn into a great nation.
The PTI chairman added that Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) helped Muslims break those shackles and helped them rule the world. Providing more examples, he explained that no one turned into a big businessman until they overcame their fears and no soldier received any medals by fearing death.
Khan said that when Edmund Hillary decided to climb Mount Everest, he first conquered his fear. Similarly, the “corrupt” leaders ruling this country have imposed this fear that if we do not polish America’s boots, we cannot progress.
The PTI chairman deplored that, unfortunately, the country always had to witness leadership that bowed before the United States, adding that
“such demeanour bought bad repute to the country”.
The former prime minister maintained that “this was the reason that a conspiracy was carried out to oust him from office”. He added that the conspiracy was hatched by those who “looted” the country for 30 years.
Imran Khan went on to say that the Opposition — during his premiership — tried to conspire against him so that he could be forced to forgive their corruption cases and give another National Reconciliation Order (NRO) to them.
“If I would have forgiven their cases, this would have meant that I had not become the premier based on an ideology or to run a movement for justice. It would have meant that I had entered politics just to win a seat,” he said. “I would have been like former president General Pervez Musharraf, who forgave corrupt politicians just to save his seat”
Turning his guns towards his arch-rival PML-N, the PTI chairman asked his supporters if they have ever wondered how a “jackal” could become a leader.
Imran Khan, while citing the example of PPP Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari, said that when former dictator Musharraf put Nawaz Sharif in jail, he kept crying throughout his captivity.
The former prime minister said that his government was told that Nawaz was “very ill” when he was jailed, adding that many people — including former human rights minister Shireen Mazari — urged him to send the PML-N supremo abroad for treatment.
“[However,] when he boarded the plane, a new Nawaz Sharif came into being. The illness vanished. He climbed the stairs [of the aeroplane] as if he was training for the Olympics,” said the PTI chairman.
He added that the PML-N supremo transformed from a sick person into a politician as soon as he reached London. “Tell me PML-N, how can you walk behind such a person,” asked Khan.
Berating Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Imran Khan said that the coalition government was so weak that it was calling for a National Security Committee meeting to determine the price of petroleum products.
“[They are doing this] so the blame for rising prices falls on the Army,” said the PTI chairman.
In his address, Imran Khan asked the people of Multan why so many lotas (turncoats) had emerged from South Punjab and added that he was thankful that members of the parliament, who had voted in favour of Hamza Shehbaz, were disqualified.
Coming back to his conspiracy narrative, the PTI chairman said that the country’s elite, unfortunately, got scared and took part in the conspiracy against him.
“They removed a prime minister of 220 million people via a conspiracy. They thought the PTI and Imran Khan’s politics was buried but instead of burying the PTI, they awakened the nations,” said Khan. “A revolution is coming and now the people, who had captured the country for 30 years, will be buried instead.”
The former prime minister said that the federal capital is about to see an ocean of people which would not only be a record for Pakistan but for the entire world. No revolution succeeds if the youth and women of that nation do not participate in it, he added.
“I always prayed to God to awaken our nation and make them aware so that they do not bow down their heads in front of any superpower or mafia and the Almighty has listened to my prayers.”
He revealed that when he was coming to the rally venue, he was receiving messages that his life was in danger. “Fear of dying, of embarrassment, of losing a job … they make a big person small. Until you break the shackles of fear, you cannot become a great nation.”
The PTI chief said: “No soldier has earned any medal who fears death, the cricketer who is afraid of losing never becomes a great cricketer, if a batsman is afraid of getting hit by a fast bowler, he can never become a great batsman.”
He went on to say that corrupt politicians have made the nation fearful that until we don’t polish the boots of Americans, we cannot go forward. “We have a history of such leaders who sold the independence of this country to Americans. Our leaders never allowed us to become a great nation.”
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“I wanted to lift my people [life] and that is why they conspired against me… who was involved in this conspiracy? Those who ruled the country for 30 years. They wanted me to give NRO [amnesty] like [former military ruler] Musharraf. They kept talking bad about me and my politics and their only objective was to forgive them for their corruption.”
He said that Pakistan’s loans increased by four times during the tenure of former president Asif Ali Zardari and former prime minister Nawaz Sharif. “They tried to blackmail me so I could forgive them in their corruption cases. Musharraf forgave them to save his govt.”
“I ask PML-N supporters whether a society ever accepts a jackal as its leader. Can a jackal become a leader?” he questioned
Talking about Nawaz’s departure to London, Imran said that his government thought he might not be able to sit on the plane due as his health condition was so serious.
“One of our ministers, Shireen Mazari, started crying during a cabinet meeting,” he said, adding that as soon as Nawaz Sharif boarded the plane, all his diseases went away and when he reached London, he became a politician again.
“Tell me the PML-N people how can you follow this liar,” he questioned again. The government, he said, is “scared of raising the petrol and diesel prices. “They want to call an NSC meeting for it so they can blame the military for it.”
Talking about the alleged US conspiracy which, according to him, toppled his government, Imran said that US Deputy Secretary of State for South Asia Donald Lu told our ambassador to the US that Pakistan will face consequences if the no-confidence motion against him does not succeed and if it does, all will be forgiven.
“This nation does not need anyone’s forgiveness, it is a proud nation,” he added.
Unfortunately, he further said that the elites of the country became fearful of the US threat. “They all got involved and removed an elected prime minister. They thought that would be the end of the PTI. They tried to bury the PTI but on the contrary, it has awakened the entire nation.”
He criticised that an under-secretary of the US had threatened the Pakistani envoy to remove Imran Khan if the country wants to be pardoned. “Pakistan does not need a pardon from anyone as it is an independent nation.” He said that the nation has foiled the ‘conspiracy’ and the time has arrived to end the politics of the ruling families.
“This is the biggest revolution in the history of Pakistan. The mafia, who ruled us for 30 years, is about to be buried.”