| Claims to have solid evidence of conspiracy against govt | Says won’t spare ‘corrupt leaders’ even if I have to step down | Highlights govt’s achievement over the past 3 1/2 years | Reaffirms not to pardon thieves come what may
By Uzma Zafar
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan has claimed that foreign powers were involved in the ‘conspiracy’ to send his coalition government at the Centre packing through a no-confidence motion tabled by the country’s joint opposition.
Terming a letter as ‘evidence’ of his claims, PM Imran said foreign elements are using local politicians and using money to “mend the country’s foreign policy”.
“I rarely write my speeches… but I wrote this speech today so that I don’t get emotional and say anything which can affect our foreign policy,” said the premier while claiming that foreign elements were involved in changing regimes in Pakistan.
The embattled prime minister said this while addressing his PTI party’s ‘historic’ publich gathering titled “Amr Bil Maroof” at Islamabad’s Parade Ground on Sunday amid looming no-trust voting against him in the National Assembly.
PM Imran said his government received threat in ritten form and asserted he had all the evidence to prove his claims which he said he will unveil at the “right time”.
“Our country received threats due to the acts of previous leaders… the governments in Pakistan had been changed with the help of locals… when Zulfikar Ali Bhutto tried to make independent foreign policy… parties of Fazlur Rehman and ‘absconder’ Nawaz Sharif launched a movement against him and later Bhutto was executed,” said the premier.
He lashed out at PPP leadership, saying that Bilawal Bhutto and Asif Zardari have formed alliance with those elements involved in the execution of their party founder.
“Today foreign elements are trying to affect our foreign policy agian… we know the elements who united the killers and the victims… today the time has changed and there is a saying in English you only cross the river once… this is an age of social media where you cannot hide anything.”
PM Imran said his government will maintain friendly ties with other states but will never become “slave to anyone”.
Not only our own dissident MNAs but lawmakers belonging to PPP and PML-N will not support the no-confidence motion against him “if their conscience are pricked by the conspiracy”, the premier said.
PM Imran Khan, while addressing today’s rally, said he will not spare ‘corrupt leaders’ even if he had to step down from his post.
“First of all, I express heartfelt gratitude to my nation for coming from all parts of the country on my appeal,” he said in his opening remarks. He also appreciated his party lawmakers present at the rally for refusing “opposition’s attempts to buy them off”.
“I came into politics 25 years ago and formed political party for one thing only and that is following the vision of Pakistan for which it was created.”
PM Imran once again claimed that he had put the country on the path of becoming “Madina-like” welfare state. “Previously, it was not possible for a common man to get free treatment at private hospitals… for the first time in country’s history attempts are being made to lift the downtrodden segment of the society,” said the premier while referring to his government’s social welfare programmes.
Continuing his diatribe against the opposition leaders, PM Imran said, “‘three stooges’ wanted to topple my government to get NRO and doge accountability”. He vowed that come what may he will not spare the “corrupt leaders”, saying that he was even ready to put his government at stake for this purpose.
“No government in the past has performed like my administration has done in the last 3.5 years,” the premier claimed once again. “When the entire world was shut down due to coronavirus lockdowns… I did not impose the blanket lockdown… I was criticised that I was destroying the country,” he remarked.
“Today I stand proud that entire world is acknowledging that we protected the economy as well as people from the pandemic.”
He also cited a World Bank report, saying that Pakistan has lowest unemployment rate in the South Asia due to his government’s “prudent policies”.
Premier Imran said all sectors of the country including exports, agriculture and others witnessed boom during his tenure, adding that after a gap of 50 years nine mega dams are being constructed in the country.
‘Corrupt vs honest leaders’
PM Imran while citing various examples, said, “People should know that the country benefits when honest rulers run it instead of corrupt leaders”.
“International court imposed a fine of Rs2,000 billion few years ago in Reko Diq case… my best team negotiated with them [private mining firm] and now they are investing $9 billion in Pakistan,” the premier said, adding that the people of Balochistan will benefit the most from the investment.
“Our currency will appreciate… Pakistan will have the largest gold reserves in the world.”
Likewise, PM Imran said in rental power project case a Rs200 billion penalty was imposed on Pakistan. “I spoke to [Turkish president] Tayyip Erdogan and they waived off the penalty,” he added.
Moreover, the premier claimed Minister for Communication Murad Saeed saved millions of rupees in the construction of main motorways and highways.
Earlier, PTI workers from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab, and other parts of Pakistan reached the venue to support their leader ahead of the no-confidence motion against him.
PTI Vice Chairman and Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, while addressing the gathering, said that the nation has “woken up” and corrupt political leaders were bound to face defeat.
“Whenever this nation wakes up it changes the fate of sub-continent… will plunders face the defeat or not?” he asked the charged crowd.
Qureshi on the occasion revealed that he was aware of the “conspiracy” behind the no-confidence motion. “There are a lot of secrets concealed in my chest and If I disclose them they [opposition] will not able to show their faces but I will not violate my oath.”
However, he added that he has informed the premier about the “conspiracy”.
Qureshi also claimed that opposition parties have offered to take back no-trust motion in return for a “NRO-like deal”.
“Give us NRO and we will take back no-motion confidence… Zardari, Nawaz and Fazl you will not get any NRO. Bring all your wealth Asif Zardari but you cannot buy anyone from this crowd.”
Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid in his brief address labelled the opposition leaders as “gang of three”.
“These plunderers did not even spare the money of Arab leaders Colonel Gaddafi and Saddam Hussein,” he said, adding that people wanted to get rid of such “corrupt politicians”.
Addressing the gathering, Federal Minister for Planning Asad Umar said the joint opposition cannot defeat PM Imran and asked the premier to announce the date of elections to tell his opponents that “people were standing with” the ruling PTI.
He also took a jibe at opposition leaders Shehbaz Sharif and Maulana Fazlur Rehman. “[US president] Joe Biden is your [Fazl] leader and he is not a global leader,” he said, adding that Shehbaz was looking for “shining imported shoes”.
Umar said all opposition leaders have joined hands to protect themselves from accountability drive.
PTI leaders Pervaiz Khattak, Ali Zaidi, Shafqat Mahmood, Murad Saeed, Qasim Khan Suri, and Faisal Javed also addressed the gathering.
The PTI leaders vowed that PM Imran will not go anywhere and the opposition’s efforts against the premier will prove futile. Mahmood said this political gathering has proved that the “nation stood with PM Imran against corruption and horse-trading”.
Mahmood said the real democracy belonged to the people and asked, “Whether conspiracies and horse-trading a form of democracy?” He said it was the habit of the opposition to use the money to get power and then fill their pockets through corruption.
Suri told participants that Imran Khan “has made all Muslims proud and fought against Islamaphobia”. “He doesn’t bow before anyone, neither does he let us bow,” the PTI lawmaker added.
Zaidi said that under the leadership of Imran Khan and with the support of the PTI workers, the government will defeat the “Zardari mafia”.
‘Battle for Pakistan’
In a message ahead of the public meeting, PM Imran shared an audio clip wherein he termed the March 27 gathering a day of the “battle for Pakistan”. Imran said, “We have not taken to streets to save PTI, we are out to fight the battle for Pakistan.”
The premier urged people to leave for the venue at their earliest to avoid traffic gridlock on their way to the Parade Ground. He added that the PTI came out today to make history.
Over 6,000 Rangers for security
Meanwhile, Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed held a presser wherein he revealed the timing of the prime minister’s address at the gathering. He said that the premier had made it clear that he wanted to make his address soon.
About security measures, Rashid said he was present at the control centre of the interior ministry. He added, “At least 6,000 Rangers, Frontier Corps, and other security personnel are deployed for security purposes.”
He, however, forewarned the Jamiat Ulema-e Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) that they would be responsible for any collisions on the Srinagar Highway which they were blocking. The minister stated that JUI-F was served a second show-cause notice today over illegal sit-in at the Srinagar Highway despite court orders.
“If the place is not vacated, an FIR will be filed against JUI-F,” he said.
Rashid said that the opposition ran away from Pakistan under the guise of health issues and illness. He also condemned what the opposition had said about the Pakistan Army.
The interior minister stated that Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) would hold its rally on March 28, and was given permission to do so. He claimed that PML-N chief Shehbaz Sharif had attempted to run away from the country, but the interior ministry had stopped him.
“If you create any fuss, the administration will take action”, Rashid warned.
PTI workers arriving in Islamabad
The PTI caravans that reached the gathering included buses, wagons, and cars adorned with posters of Prime Minister Imran Khan highlighting the theme of the gathering, ‘Amarbil Maroof’.
Earlier, hundreds of vehicles entered Islamabad via Srinagar Highway to attend the “million-strong” rally. The PTI supporters coming via Hazara, Lahore, and Peshawar motorways were making victory signs and chanting pro-Imran slogans as they got off the motorways. They were led by ministers, ruling party lawmakers, and local PTI leaders.
In a tweet about the gathering, Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry boasted of the apparently large number of workers coming to attend the rally. “The so-called caravans of JUI-F and PML-N have disappeared from the roads,” he said, adding that all “caravans coming to Islamabad belonged to Imran Khan”.
The federal minister also urged the public to attend the PTI rally to listen to the “historic address” of the prime minister. In a video statement, Fawad said that the “brave Pakistani nation needed a brave leader like Imran Khan who would never make the people bow their heads”.
Fawad said PM Imran was the benefactor of Pakistan and under his leadership, Pakistan laid the foundation of an independent foreign policy.
The minister said that in the past it was said about Pakistan that money could buy everything here, but today Pakistan stood tall because of PM Imran’s courageous leadership.
Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi claimed the PTI will hold the largest public gathering in the history of Pakistan.
“This will not only be a public referendum of confidence in Prime Minister Imran Khan, but the nation will also send a clear message that we will fight evil and stand with the truth.” He added that victory belonged to the truth.
Federal Planning Minister Asad Umar said: “Today’s occasion will not just be a rally but [it] will be a rewriting of history. Today, Pakistan will decide to rid the country of illicit money. We will live as an independent nation.”
Prime Minister of Azad Jammu and Kashmir Sardar Abdul Qayyum Niazi also visited the Parade Ground ahead of the rally. Talking to the media, AJK PM Niazi stated that the decision being made tomorrow — alluding to the no-trust motion in the National Assembly — is one that PM Imran has “dreamt of for 26 years”.
Niazi further stated that a large number of Kashmiris from Rawalpindi would attend the meeting and that so many people were coming from Muzaffarabad that there was a shortage of cars. “Hundred thousands of Kashmiris will arrive from Muzaffarabad, Mirpur, and Kolti to express solidarity with Imran Khan”.
Traffic situation
The Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) police took to their official Twitter handle to announce routes that PTI workers could follow, as well as the rally’s gathering point location via Google Maps.
ICT police further said that all roads of Islamabad, except the Srinagar Highway, were open for participants travelling to the rally.
They stated that Srinagar Highway was closed from Project Mor to Zero point, but the rest of the Highway remained open.
Meanwhile, at least 2,500 police officials have been performing security duties at the entry and exit points of Rawalpindi. The police were deployed to ensure security and the smooth flow of traffic.
