Letting Nawaz Sharif go abroad was a big mistake: PM Imran
MANDI BAHUDDIN: Despite record inflation and attempts being made by the opposition parties to overthrow the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) government, Prime Minister Imran Khan did not look perturbed and went ahead with his rhetoric against the opposition while addressing a public gathering in Mandi Bahauddin on Friday.
The prime minister called Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-F (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazl ‘Diesel’, members of the Sharif family ‘Absconders, and labeled the entire opposition as a ‘gang of thieves and thugs.
“It is after 30 years that there is no ‘Diesel’ in the parliament,” he said in an obvious reference to Maulana Fazl-Ur-Rehman.
Saying it aloud that he would not call Fazl ‘Maulana’, PM Imran said that the JUI-F chief knew fully well that PTI had completed record development works in KP between 2013-2018, and that was what worried him because he did not have a broad support base in the province anymore.
He admitted that allowing former prime minister and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif to go to the UK for medical treatment was a big mistake on his part.
The prime minister made fun of the Sharif family, which, he said, went abroad on one pretext or the other. “Sometimes their platelets are down, and sometimes there is a problem with their heart or there is a backache,” he said, and added, “When the government received Nawaz Sharif’s medical report, we got worried that he could die any moment, and had to give a green signal for his flight abroad,” he recalled.
PM Imran said when Nawaz would go to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), he would often ask where was Naya Pakistan. “But the people of KP, who return a party to power only once, reelected the PTI in the 2018 general elections,” he said gleefully.
The prime minister wondered that the opposition parties launched anti-government movements after every three months. “Why should I be afraid when I have done nothing wrong,” he said confidently.
He again made it clear to the opposition that they would not get a relief (NRO) in their cases until they returned all their looted money to the state. “Now you will go straight to jail,” he stated categorically.
“Unless this money returns, I will continue to chase these thieves,” he said.
He asked PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz and other members of the Sharif family to show the money trail of their assets. “Will you please tell me how billions of rupees landed in your accounts?” he questioned.
PM Imran Khan said that if Shehbaz Sharif is innocent then why does he seek a delay in the trial of this case. “He should rather call for a day-to-day hearing to prove his innocence,” the premier said and added, “they wanted to seek NRO given during Musharraf tenure.”
“Whatever they plan against me, I am ready to deal with it and they will be defeated,” he said to a roaring crowd and added that they would now go to jail.
Speaking regarding the hike in inflation, the prime minister said that he is continuously thinking of ways to deal with the hike in prices of commodities but said that it’s a global phenomenon caused owing to supply-chain issues.
“The oil prices have jumped from US$40 per barrel to US$90 per barrel,” Imran Khan said and added that they tried to lower the burden on the masses by eliminating multiple duties and taxes.
He, however, mentioned that the country has moved onto a positive track with exports going record up and overseas Pakistanis sending the highest remittances ever. TF REPORT
