Daily Times

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan Wednesday said he would announce the dissolution of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa assemblies on December 17.

“I have completed consultations with the party and we have decided that in a gathering at Lahore’s Liberty Chowk, I will give my nation the date for the dissolution of the KP and Punjab assemblies,” Imran Khan said in an address to the nation. “Once we dissolve both the assemblies, we will hold elections in the provinces. Also, our 123-125 National Assembly members – whose resignations have not been accepted – will ask the speaker inside the assembly to accept their resignations,” he added.

Imran Khan said following the dissolution of two assemblies, as much as 70% of Pakistan will move towards elections and in line with the law, elections should take place within 90 days of the assemblies’ dissolution. “So understand this: I will announce the date on December 17 and after that, 70% of Pakistan will go into election mode. Logic dictates that if 70% of Pakistan will see elections, then the country should move towards general elections,” he said.

Imran claimed that the government was waiting for “round three of looting the country” and was “in no mood for elections” due to the fear of losing. “Their interests and the nation’s interests are on opposing ends.” “Unfortunately, our leaders are corrupt and convicts. They do not care about what happens to Pakistan and when bad times take over the country, they will exit the country,” he said. Khan said the coalition rulers were worried that if they step down then another government would be formed and their corruption cases would be reopened.

Lamenting his helplessness, the ex-prime minister said when he was in power, former army chief General (retired) Qamar Javed Bajwa asked him to focus on the economy and not accountability. “Gen (retd) Bajwa told me to grant NRO II to the then-opposition when [the government had to pass laws related to the] Financial Action Task Force. It was Gen (retd) Bajwa who gave NRO II to the then-opposition.”

Imran went on to say that it was important for all the stakeholders – including the establishment and judiciary – to realise that Pakistan’s economy was standing at a crucial point today. There is inflation, unemployment, industries are closing down and the markets have lost confidence in the government, he said. “I want to say this to all the institutions today […] what is happening today will affect all of you […] the entire country will go down and if that happens, national security will be impacted the most.”

Imran also pointed out that there was a perception that the PTI was “seeking help from the establishment”. “I want to clarify today that I’m not asking for help from anyone […] I want the establishment to be neutral so its honour increases,” he highlighted, saying that in the last few years the distance between the establishment and the public had grown. “This country needs a strong army […] in any situation, I don’t want our army to be weakened. A strong army is in Pakistan’s interest and this will only happen when the military is neutral and doesn’t interfere [in politics].”

The PTI chief also said that criticising some “black sheep” in the institution was “not the same as criticising the army”. “If there are black sheep in the institutions […] then the institution should raise its stature by taking action against them.” The PTI chief headed that in these last seven months “PTI was treated with open hostility”. The former PM said he has never seen cases of “big dacoits” being closed in his 70 years of experience. “I am sure that even banana republics don’t do such things,” the ex-premier said.

The PTI chief said no country can progress without rule of law and justice as he claimed that Pakistan was on the “brink of destruction” as there was “no rule of law”. “Why are we here? Because the poor people are in jail as powerful people are receiving NROs, getting their cases closed, and coming back to the country,” the ex-prime minister said. Khan said documentaries have been shot and books written on the corruption of two families that belong to the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP). “It is so saddening that Suleman Shehbaz came back to Pakistan and addressed a press conference claiming that he was a victim,” Khan said as he asked Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s son the reason behind the death of the people involved in the case. “How did all the witnesses die of heart attacks in his money laundering case? Someone should investigate this case. Also, Ishaq Dar has also been given a clean chit […] when he was asked for the receipts of his income, he flew abroad on the prime minister’s plane.”

The PTI chief said even the people belonging to the “Zardari mafia” will be forgiven, including his sister Faryal Talpur. “The powerful can only survive here.” The cricketer-turned-politician said that anybody who understands the economy knows that the first rule is to ensure there is political stability as “markets can’t perform under uncertain situations”. “Investors and businessmen are reluctant to invest their money as the risk of default has grown to 100% as compared to 5% which was left behind by PTI,” he added. Furthermore, Imran said that both the Toshakhana and foreign funding cases against him were a part of the “chief election commissioner’s one-point agenda to disqualify Imran Khan”. “The day the Toshakhana case goes to court […] I can say in writing that everything I did was legal,” he pressed. “And same is the case with the foreign funding case. Whenever the investigation is completed, it’ll be clear that the PTI is the only party in the country that did political fundraising in a proper manner.”

The former prime minister said that his party had approached the courts several times with the plea that funding cases of all political parties should be heard together. “Why is it not happening? Because when the cases open every one will find out how they raise funds.” Imran also asserted that he would not “run out of the country” no matter how many cases were lodged against him.