JAMRUD – Prime Minister Imran Khan asserted on Friday that efforts to bring down the PTI government would not succeed, referring to the protest threats made by Pakistan Peoples Party chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and former president Asif Ali Zardari.
Addressing a large public gathering in Jamrud subdivision of Khyber district, the premier invited the father-son duo to stage a sit-in against the government in Islamabad if they desire so.
The prime minister hit back at the PPP leaders and emphasized that the PTI government would stay as it is.
“Zardari sahab, no matter how hard you push … no government is going anywhere. But you are going to jail,” he said while addressing the former president in point-blank comments.
The prime minister alleged that people had been paid “Rs200, Rs500” to attend the gathering held by the PPP on the occasion of the 40th death anniversary of former prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto a day earlier.
Quoting Zardari’s statement that he would call on PPP workers to march on Islamabad, Khan said that a sit-in is successful only when you share the people’s grief and stand up for them.
“I invite you and your son, come and stage a dharna in Islamabad,” the prime minister offered, adding that he will not only arrange containers for the PPP leaders but also provide them food.
He also challenged the duo to spend one week in a container, claiming they would not be able to do so because ‘politicians become leaders with their struggles and not by claiming that they have inherited a political party’.
https://en.dailypakistan.com.pk/headline/bilawal-warns-to-overthrow-govt-for-revoking-18th-amendment/
Prime Minister Khan also took aim at Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, for his announcement of ‘million march’ to get rid of the ‘fascist government’.
The premier said the Maulana will not get another chance to be part of the government despite his efforts saying he was clean-bowled in the last elections.
‘PTI government has been in office for only seven months but the opposition has already been claiming that the government has failed,’ he opined.
He asked members of the opposition parties to face courts instead of fleeing off to Britain. The prime minister repeated the offer that if they [corrupt politicians] want to save themselves from jails, there is only one way which is to return the nation’s money.
Prime Minister Khan said he had strongly opposed the decision of sending Pakistan Army troops to the tribal areas on America’s instruction adding that he understood the difficulties residents of the tribal areas faced owing to exodus after military operations in the area.
“No one will fully realise the sacrifices rendered by the people of tribal areas,” the premier said, promising to make efforts to compensate people for their financial losses.
Imran Khan announced that he had issued orders for the Torkham border with Afghanistan to be kept open round the clock to facilitate business and trade for locals.
The premier said that an economic corridor will be built between Khyber and Afghanistan so that development takes place in the region and people are provided jobs.
The prime minister also announced several development projects for the tribal region.
He said once completed, the Jabba dam will provide drinking water to one million people and the construction of the Bara dam will enable 17,000 hectares of land to be used for agriculture.
The prime minister said he will make efforts to ensure the people of Jamrud have an uninterrupted supply of electricity and gas.
Imran Khan announced that an amount of Rs100 billion will be spent on the development of the tribal areas for the next 10 years.
Imran Khan also dished in on the recent controversy about his statement regarding Afghanistan that Kabul should set up an interim government before elections and said we [Pakistanis] consider you [Afghanis] as our brothers.
Khan clarified that he had only advised Afghanistan to hold elections through an interim government after learning lessons from Pakistan’s past as it would prevent anarchy in the country.
He continued that his statement was like a suggestion which sould be discarded but it was not an interference [in your internal affairs].
