PTI Chairman Imran Khan Thursday asked Pakistanis to gear up to start a campaign for “actual independence” and wait for his call to Islamabad, as the ousted premier stressed he would not accept the “imported government” at any cost.
“The actual party has just begun, our campaign will intensify […] wait for my call. I don’t want anything else except early elections,” the ex-prime minister told the Lahore jalsa, calling on the people who had committed a mistake to hold early polls.
Berating the incumbent government for ousting him from power, the ex-prime minister said they bought the conscience of lawmakers and “polished the boots of foreign powers” to come into power.
Going into the details of why a “foreign conspiracy” was hatched against him, Khan said that the day he came into power, it was his goal to give an independent foreign policy to Pakistan.
“An independent foreign policy means that all the decisions will be made in the interest of the people. I cannot sacrifice my countrymen for a foreign power,” Khan said.
The PTI chairman alleged that the incumbent rulers were always obedient when foreign powers gave them directives but claimed he did not follow suit, so the foreign powers “did not like it”.
Khan said that he also resolved to raise the issue of Islamophobia at every international forum — the United Nations, Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, and others — as a strong 1.5 billion Muslim populace was troubled in foreign countries.
“So the foreigners did not like it either,” he said.
The third thing that the foreign powers did not like was his attitude of “not taking dictation from anyone”. The ousted premier claimed that a foreign power questioned his visit to Russia.
Defending his Russia visit, the PTI chairman said Moscow was ready to provide Pakistan with petroleum products 30% cheaper than international prices.
“We could sell petrol and Fazlur Rehman (diesel) at 30% cheaper rates,” the ex-premier said, taking a jibe at the JUI-F chief, who is now part of the ruling coalition.
Praising India’s foreign policy
Khan said importing oil from Russia was in Pakistan’s interest. He added that the United States asked India to not import oil from Russia, but New Delhi told Washington that it was in their nation’s interest to purchase the commodity from Moscow.
“It means that India’s foreign policy is for their countrymen’s interests, but our foreign policy is to achieve another country’s goals,” the PTI chairman said.
Khan said the foreign powers did not like him boosting trade with China as well.
“Since they did not like all of these things, a conspiracy was planned. But no conspiracy can be successful without the support of Mir Jafars and Mir Sadiqs,” the ousted premier said.
He said the incumbent government — comprising of three stooges, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, PPP Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari, and JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman — fully supported the foreign conspiracy.
Khan claimed that his government was removed from power at a time when the country was progressing, with the remittances, tax collection, and development at historic levels.
“The unemployment level was at its lowest; we were ahead of everyone. Our government also handled the coronavirus in an exemplary manner as we saved lives and the employment of our poor people,” Khan said.
Toshakhana controversy
Referring to the Toshakhana controversy, he said during the previous governments would purchase items from the Toshakhana at 15% of the original cost.
“But when we came into power, we set the rate at 50% — the amount would go to the government. Anything that I bought is on record and everything was done in line with the law,” he said.
Khan said he repaired the road outside his house through his personal money and did not take the government’s money for it. “I pay my own expenses.”
Lashing out at the incumbent government, the PTI chairman said that no other prime minister in Pakistan’s history has spent so less on himself as compared to him.
