-Says Karachi by-elections are ‘referendum’ to decide fate of country
From Zeeshan Mirza
KARACHI: In a veiled dig at Sindh’s ruling party PPP, PTI Chairman Imran Khan said Friday that the reign of “dacoits” in the province should come to an end.
Khan’s remarks came during his visit to Karachi as he rallies his party workers for the anti-government “Azadi March”, for which the date is yet to be announced.
“Had there not been violence in Karachi, it would have progressed more than Dubai,” Khan said as he vowed that now, things would change for the port city as “no power” could stop his party from getting its mayor elected in the upcoming local body elections.
“After the local body elections, we will also emerge successful in the general elections,” he said.
Later, while addressing a rally in Karachi’s Shah Faisal Colony Friday, Imran asked supporters to pronounce their verdict in the by-elections and reject the “imported government”.
“I am going to launch the biggest march in country’s history and a sea of people will come out with us and give a verdict in our favour,” he said. Terming Karachi the “finance engine of Pakistan”, Imran said the city ran the country on the economic front, adding its people were sensible and politically aware.
He also subjected his former ally MQM-P to criticism, pointedly asking them: “Are you happy with Zardari? Has he resolved all the issues of Karachi?”
The ex-PM said that his government initiated the Karachi Circular Railway project along with the Green Line Bus service. “We also started the K4 project that was on the back burner for 14 years.” Imran said his next stopover would be interior Sindh where, according to him, he would lead a drive to “free people from the clutches of Zardari”.
The PTI chief called upon rally participants to “take responsibility” in his “fight against corruption”, saying “it is not my job alone to battle against corruption in the country.”
Earlier, he also accused Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and his family for “plundering the nation’s wealth and stashing it in properties abroad”.
It was the first Karachi rally of PTI addressed by its chairman after April 2022 public meeting, which was staged in Bagh-i-Jinnah days after his government was ousted through a no-confidence vote.
