Daily Times

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan Saturday vowed to strengthen state institutions, particularly Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), police and the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), after winning the July 25 general election.

Addressing a youth convention here, the PTI chief said Pakistan was rich in resources. “Only transparency in governance with elimination of corruption at higher echelons of power is needed for their proper utilization,” he said.

With the workers convention, the PTI has formally launched its election campaign in the three constituencies of Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) – NA-52, NA-53 and NA-54.

Imran said right to information, conflict of interests and whistleblowers acts, which had already been enacted in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, would be introduced at the federal level along with launching of a countrywide massive tree plantation campaign during the coming monsoon season by the PTI if it was voted to power.

Owing to education reforms introduced in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in last five years, he said, over 15,000 students studying in private schools had been enrolled in the government schools while the number of doctors in government hospitals had increased from 3,000 to 9,000. He said the PTI after forming the government would take steps to double the revenue collection to Rs 8,000 billion per year.

Criticising the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), he said both the parties remained in government at the federal level in turns during the last decade but they did nothing for the betterment of the people and country. He said Nawaz Sharif and Asif Zardari were now again joining hands. “The dollar-rupee parity ratio has doubled during the last 10 years. A dollar was available at Rs 60 in the year 2008, which has now reached Rs 125 due to corruption and bad governance of both the parties,” he alleged.

Likewise, he added, the foreign debt had jumped to Rs 27,000 billion in 2018 from Rs 6,000 billion in 2008.

Imran said former Punjab chief minister Shehbaz Sharif had spent almost Rs 6,000 billion on the development projects in the province during the last 10 years. “He should be asked as to how many universities and hospitals he had established,” he added.

The PTI chief said ticket awarding exercise was a cumbersome process. Some 700 candidates out of over 4,000 aspirants were awarded party tickets and desperation of those who failed to secure tickets was natural, he said. “There were several capable candidates but the ticket was to be awarded to only one person from a constituency,” he said, adding that there was no way to avoid the dismay of aspirants. “My wife saw me growing old in three weeks over the matter of party tickets,” he said. “When 11 players are picked out of a squad of 20, the remaining individuals feel disappointed,” he said, adding that once he also felt disappointed when he was not selected in the team.

Imran said that no woman will be awarded ticket for a reserved seat unless she makes her way up through the party ranks by contesting intra-party elections. However, there would be some exemption for the technocrats, he said, adding that committed workers who could not get tickets will also be adjusted if the PTI assumed power. He also announced to hold intra-party elections after the general elections.

Imran Khan said that the PTI was never prepared for the general election the way it is this time. “Workers should note that the first rule of a competition is to never consider your opponent weak,” he said. “However, we were never prepared the way we are this time,” he added.

Imran Khan on Saturday also invited former PML-N member Chaudhry Abdul Ghafoor to join PTI. During his contact with the PML-N renegade, the PTI chief said to Ghafoor, “You are a brave man. PTI needs people like you.”

Ghafoor announced to end his 28-year-old association with the PML-N last week, after accusing the Sharif brothers of ‘selling’ party tickets.

Published in Daily Times, July 1^st 2018.