Imran says Pakistan ripe for change

CHAKWAL, Nov 24: Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaaf chief Imran Khan said on Thursday the country was ready for change and that “corrupt politicians” had become a relic of the past.
Addressing a big public meeting organised by former district nazim Sardar Ghulam Abbas, he said his party would take the country out of the existing crises and transform it into a developed one.
“We all have to fight for the survival of Pakistan which is being destroyed by a tiny corrupt mafia ruling the country for years,” Mr Khan said.
“If an ordinary person commits theft out of poverty he is jailed, but an NRO (National Reconciliation Ordinance) comes to the rescue of big dacoits.” He said that a thief could not conduct accountability of a thief.
“If the biggest culprit becomes the president how could other criminals be brought to the book,” he said.
He said the PTI would conduct a “massive accountability”.
“First we will conduct our own accountability then will bring all the corrupt men to the book,” he claimed.
Addressing the youngsters, he said: “It’s the war for your future. If you don`t join it your future will be dark and the country will continue to suffer”.
He said that his party would wage an epic war against poverty.
“Our country is replete with numerous resources and the people of this country are hardworking and talented but a corrupt system neither could utilise the resources nor it could provide better facilities to people,” he said.
He claimed that 90 per cent of youth settled abroad was with the PTI.
He vowed that after coming into power his party would create new jobs and establish factories.
“The farmers of the country will be given special incentives”.
Commenting about the indiscriminate education system, he said the PTI would introduce a single education system throughout the country.
“We will declare an education emergency and children of common parents will get higher education without any hindrance,” he said.
Applauding the services of former chairman of Higher Education Commission, Dr Ataur Rahman, Mr Khan said the PTI would bring Mr Rahman back.
“The PTI will turn all the big houses like the presidency, the prime minister house, the houses of chief ministers and governors into educational institutions,” he said.
Lashing out at the PML-N, he said the Sharif brothers had spent Rs9 billion on their palace in Raiwind from public money.
“Chaudhry Nisar doesn’t have enough courage to raise this issue in the Public Accounts Committee,” he said.
Commenting about the plight of Karachi, Mr Khan said there was reign of terror and death in the country’s largest city. “If a person leaves his home to buy a food item, his body returns,” he said.
He promised that the PTI would unite the Baloch, Urdu-speakers and other communities under the flag of Pakistan.
Sardar Ghulam Abbas, once a close aide of Chaudhry Pervez Elahi, joined the PTI along with his supporters. However, he did not talk about leaving the PML-Q and focussed on criticising the PML-N.
Meanwhile, chairing a meeting of PTI’s local chapter at the residence of district organiser, Malik Shahid Iqbal, Mr Khan assured the workers that decision about awarding tickets would be taken on merit.
“I’m quite aware of your reservations but I assure you that I will not disappoint you,” he said.
The PTI workers are in a state of disappointment over joining of the PTI by Sardar Abbas, former MNA Sardar Faiz Tamman, former MPA Col (retd) Sultan Surkhru and former tehsil nazim Sardar Aftab Akbar.
They believed that these time-tested ‘turncoats’ could diminish Mr Khan’s ‘dream for change’.
Mr Khan claims that the parliamentary board will take the decision about awarding tickets, but Sardar Tamman says that he has joined the PTI after settling the matters with Mr Khan.
“I will contest the election of MNA from NA-61 and Sultan Surkhru will be the candidate for MPA,” he told Dawn.