Prime Minister Imran Khan Sunday said having put the national economy on the right course, his next focus was to ensure rule of law in the country and take the “powerful criminals” to task, who had been blackmailing the national institutions. Addressing the 73rd Independence Day Parade of Gilgit-Baltistan at the FCNA helipad ground, the prime minister said the interests of Pakistan and those of the opposition were opposed to each other. He said they tried to blackmail him for alleged election rigging, economic crisis, COVID-19, and even FATF (Financial Action Task Force)-related legislation despite knowing the Indian efforts to put Pakistan on its blacklist. “Now they have pointed guns at the Pakistan Army, the Army Chief and ISI (Inter-Services Intelligence) Director General. They are speaking against the Army Chief and the ISI chief; it means I had chosen them rightly. My selection was totally right and I specially thank Allah for it. If these looters are speaking against them, it means they are good people,” he remarked. Imran Khan said a strong military was inevitable for the security of a nation and to save it from a situation faced by other Muslim countries like Libya, Somalia, Syria, Yemen, Afghanistan and Iraq due to the wars. The prime minister, who was accompanied by Minister for Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan Ali Amin Gandapur, said in the Islamic history, the Muslims fought and ruled successfully until they were ditched by the traitors like Mir Jafar and Mir Sadiq just for their personal gains. He said the Holy Quran had ranked the hypocrites even below the infidels for their conspiring role because they hurt more. “Today, we are seeing Pakistan’s Mir Jafar, Mir Sadiq and Mir Ayaz Sadiq. These are the people, who are speaking the language of Narendra Modi,” he remarked. “Now, I will personally oversee the state institutions to establish rule of law in the country and bring under law the powerful criminals who are trying to blackmail them. Insha’Allah, in the coming days, you will see whose legs shake and whose forehead sweats.” Imran Khan, who wore the traditional white Gilgit cap with peacock plume, told the audience that the way Pakistan had handled the situation after the Pulwama incident was lauded by the world leaders but he (Ayaz Sadiq) alleged that Pakistan acted under pressure, which was also the electioneering slogan of Narendra Modi. He viewed that the sole objective of such tirade was just to pressure and blackmail the government to get an NRO (National Reconciliation Ordinance) for their corruption of billions of rupees. “I want to tell my nation today, Imran Khan will never forgive these looters. The judiciary was good when they were acquitted in the Hudabiya case but when a five-member bench ruled against him, who has absconded abroad, for money laundering, then it (judiciary) turned bad (for them),” he commented. He said the so-called democratic people were trying to discredit the Pakistan Army and the judiciary. Referring to his maiden address after taking over the office, the prime minister said he had forecast that the opposition parties would unite against him as his 24-year struggle was for purging the country of corruption. He said India had got the most extremist, anti-Muslim and anti-Pakistan government, which was focused on the supremacy of Hindutva, marginalising the Muslims in India and Kashmir through enforcing multiple discriminatory laws. He said the Indian government was not only trying to destabilise Pakistan through terror incidents rather by fanning sectarianism too as had been disclosed by Indian spy Kulbhushan Jadhav. However, he appreciated the intelligence agencies for thwarting all Indian designs. Imran Khan, who is the first prime minister to attend the GB Independence Day celebrations for consecutive two years, assured to join them across his five-year term. The prime minister, who also visited the Martyurs’ Monument and laid a wreath there, congratulated the GB people on the Independence Day and paid tribute to the sacrifices by GB Scouts who liberated the region from the Dogra rule. He also extended greetings to the people over his government’s decision of granting the GB a provisional provincial status following the elections. The decision, which would fulfil their longstanding demand, had been made within the perimeters of the United Nations Security Council’s resolutions, he added. He declined to announce any development package for the region owing to the Election Commission’s restriction due to the upcoming elections. However, he assured the people that his government was resolved to uplift the backward areas, including GB, Balochistan, western districts of Punjab and interior Sindh, and their people.