Daily Times

KARACHI: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan has hinted that a movement against treasury by the joint opposition of political parties on Panama Papers can send Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif home.

“If the joint opposition unites on Panama Papers and starts a movement against the government, it might send Nawaz Sharif home,” he said while talking to the media at his friend Tariq Shafi’s residence on Sunday.

Imran urged the residents of Karachi to stage demonstrations to get their problems resolved and “help bring change”.

He vowed to hold a demonstration during his next visit to the metropolis. “Your city will soon turn into Mohenjo Daro if you don’t speak up and struggle for your rights,” he said.

He targeted the ruling government, saying that the incumbent officials were siphoning off billions of rupees from the country to buy properties abroad. Pakistan was now being run on debts, “and those at helm of affairs seem oblivious to it”, he remarked.

He said that country had been bankrupted and the government was running its affairs on borrowed money. He reiterated that he would not forge an alliance with any corrupt political party in the upcoming general election.

Commenting on former PTI president, Imran said Javed Hashmi had “lost his mind” and all of his allegations were baseless. He hopes that the PTI party would make its mark and turn Karachi into the centre of his party’s politics.

In the next general election, the PTI would give a surprise in Sindh and Karachi, he said, adding that all characterless members of the PTI – who sold the party during the last local government elections in Punjab – would be removed from basic membership. “No one will be allowed to violate party discipline at any cost,” he remarked.

Separately, giving an exclusive interview to Khaleej Times, the PTI head said that everyone in the country wanted peace with India. “I am a bit disturbed by the way [Indian] Prime Minister Modi has tried to isolate Pakistan rather than encouraging the relationship forward. All of us, I mean, everyone in Pakistan wants peace with India. Anyone who says otherwise is wrong.”

He said that the hallmark of good leaders “is that they should resist… pressure of going back to hostilities in the event of a terrorist attack. I think the responsibility lies with the bigger country. India is a huge country and it could have done more to improve the relationship with Pakistan”. Talking about the Panamagate and the possibility of political alliance with other opposition parties, he said, “As far as the joint opposition against Panama goes, we were all together in the assembly. We wanted the prime minister to answer those questions. And on that issue we’ll probably be together in the parliament with all the opposition.”