SAHIWAL, Jan 29 (APP): Prime Minister Imran Khan Friday said the country was going through a historic battle to establish rule of law and nab the plunderers who considered themselves above state law.
“This is a historic battle for rule of law. These thieves consider themselves above law… They just accept the decisions in their own favor. This historic battle will ensure rule of law and put dacoits in jail which is their real abode,” the prime minister said talking to media here.
He said in the past, the PML-N leaders used to get the court verdicts in their favor either by bribing the judges or by ransacking the supreme court.
He said while trying to enmeshing the PTI, the opposition parties had entangled themselves in foreign funding case.
“We want Election Commission to take this case to the logical end. It should scrutinize the funding of all political parties. I foresee, they will find only one party, which is PTI, with complete record of name and addresses of around 40,000 donors,” he commented.
He said anyone could contact those donors to ask whether they donated money to PTI or not.
The prime minister also challenged the opposition parties to just furnish detail of just 100 donors, what to talk of 1,000.
“This will also expose who got funding from Osama Bin Laden. There is a public statement of Khalid Khwaja’s wife,” he said and questioned the source of Maulana Fazlur Rehman’s properties worth billions of rupees. No government touched him ever either because he had been part of that setup or fearing any “decree” by him.
Even he said Nawaz Sharif laundered money in name of party fund.
The prime minister told media that since last 30 years he had seen the “auction” of parliamentarians to buy their Senate vote. After the last Senate election, the PTI expelled 20 members after they were found to have sold their vote against Rs50 million each.
He said all political leaders knew this practice.
“The price offer (for upcoming Senate election vote) has already started. We also know how much money is being offered in the assemblies to buy loyalties. We also know as which political leader is collecting money to buy the votes,” he said.
Calling it a treason, the prime minister questioned as whether the Senator, who had bought his seat would not make money. How will he represent the province? In which democracy, the parliamentarians sell out their votes,” he asked.
Recounting his government’s efforts for fair Senate election, the prime minister said the government had moved the supreme court and would also present a bill in the parliament for open ballot.
Imran Khan said it would make the people know as who were trying to eliminate corruption and those defending it.
To a question, he said the Pakistan Democratic Movement was destined to fail as the people always took to street only against the rulers’ corruption, not to protect that.
Exemplifying the anti-corruption public movements in Lebanon, South America and Iraq, the prime minister said the Pakistan’s opposition parties tried to fool the masses.
Referring to Nawaz Sharif, he said a party leader having absconded to London was trying to act as a revolutionary leader and threatening the government just for sake of NRO to protect his looted money.
Prime Minister Imran said the parliament could be run jointly by the government and opposition with the latter pressuring the former to address pubic issues.
He said the democracy could never work if the opposition was agitating just to get NRO and linking it with their support in legislation.
He said despite being responsible for prevailing economic issues, the opposition blackmailed the government in its efforts of economic revival and FATF legislation besides calling for abolition of 34 of 38 clauses of NAB law.
Asked about the opposition’s tirade against some outspoken PTI leaders, the prime minister said it was a matter of distinction for them. If they laud me, it would rather be a disgrace for me, he added.
Touching the Punjab government’s operation against land grabbers in Lahore, the prime minister said the land mafias got strengthened for being backed by the political leaders. Even some political leaders are also part of the mafia, he added.
He said after demolition of Khokhar Palace, self-proclaimed future leader Maryam Nawaz held a press conference just to support the land mafia without bothering to know the fact that they had occupied state land worth Rs 1.3 billion.
He said the land mafia had occupied the land during the PML-N government which later also obliged the party leadership.
He said when a prime minister backed the land mafia, he would lose his moral authority to forbid the administration as well as the police to do the same.
“We will not pardon the big robbers. No NRO will be given. We will not forgive the land grabbers too nurturing under these (political leaders),” he resolved.
To another question, the prime minister said the government was set to announce an agriculture policy to overhaul the sector within next five to ten years.