Country will not be stable unless elections are held: Imran Khan
KARACHI/LAHORE, Nov 22, (SABAH): Former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan has said that the only solution to the issues facing the country is free and transparent election and the government that comes with the majority should establish the rule of law.
Addressing a seminar in Karachi through video link on Tuesday, Imran Khan said that the country’s situation was not good when his party came into power and the biggest his government faced was current account deficit.
He said no government in the past has focused on increasing exports and the situation would have worsened had the Saudi Arabia, China and United Arab Emirates did not help.
“Coronavirus was the biggest crisis during PTI government’s tenure and I was facing alot of pressure to impose lockdown,” Imran Khan said adding that he was criticized for not imposing lockdown but the people would have died of hunger, if his government had imposed a lockdown.
He went on to say that no one knows where we would be standing in a month but according to the Gallup survey, 88 percent of Pakistan s direction is not correct, adding that the country will not be stable unless elections are held.
Imran Khan said his party will return to power and will “not even need to campaign” due to the current situation in the country. The PTI chief said free and fair elections were needed immediately to lift the country of the ongoing economic turmoil in order to restore stability and confidence. “The more the government delays elections, the more beneficial it will be for the PTI and we will not even need to campaign due to the current situation of the country.”
He maintained that a “government with a clear majority needs to come so it can take bold decisions”. Imran Khan, criticizing the government of Shehbaz Sharif, said a new government will have to take tough decisions to “correct the country’s course”.
He also said that the country needed to focus on attracting investment and investors should be incentivized and amnesties should only be provided to those who invest in Pakistan’s industrial capacity.
Referring to his ouster, the PTI chairperson claimed that he was still unaware of what those allegedly behind the plot were seeking and said he had sent “Shaukat Tarin to tell the neutrals” that the economy would be adversely affected due to political instability.
Meanwhile Imran Khan has assured British High Commissioner Dr. Christian Turner that his party’s protest rally or sit-in will not affect the Pakistan-England Test match scheduled to be held in Rawalpindi on December 1.
The PTI sought permission from the Islamabad administration on Monday to allow it to proceed from different routes of Islamabad to reach Faizabad in Rawalpindi.
Although the application does not clearly state whether it will be a one-day gathering or a sit-in, the intention is clear that the November 26 rally can be converted into a sit-in.
The British high commissioner and Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Ramiz Raja called on the former premier at his Zaman Park residence in Lahore and inquired about his health.
The British high commissioner condemned the assassination attempt on the PTI chief and expressed his best wishes for his speedy recovery.
Imran Khan asked the PCB chairman and the British diplomat to continue their preparations for the match, saying his movement will not affect the 5-day match. Senior PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry was also present in the meeting.
England have not played a Test match in Pakistan since 2005 — having declined to tour since because of the country’s precarious security situation — but played a successful Twenty20 series earlier this year.
They are due to arrive in Islamabad on November 26, with the first Test in Rawalpindi from December 1-5.