LAHORE – Although the former army chief stressed in his farewell speech that the institution had decided to stay away from politics, Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) leader Imran Khan on Sunday indirectly called on the establishment to call for early elections allow, as he believe the country quickly headed for a default.
“I expect from the new (army) formation that the national security institutions will take into account this serious situation of the country’s economy in a downward spiral,” he noted. Mr Khan has said on several occasions that only political stability can ensure economic stability.
Speaking to the media at his Zaman Park residence, the PTI chief reiterated his claim that the country was headed for “economic catastrophe” and that only new general elections could pull it out of this crisis.
When asked whether it was constitutionally wise to ask state institutions to intervene, Mr Khan detailed various moves by the incumbent government which questioned whether they were constitutional.
Confirms that “Q” is correct that early polls should be secured before meetings are dissolved
In addition, the PTI chief confirmed the advice of his Punjab allies, the PML-Q leadership, to ensure that early elections are held before the Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa assemblies are dissolved, noting that he is aware that If and when the legislature were dissolved, the election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) – which he says is biased towards the federal government – would appoint an interim government, the center would appoint its own police chief and begin committing excesses against his party. “The point of the PML-Q is correct,” he added.
Mr Khan referred to the statement by PML-Q leader Moonis Elahi who said a day earlier there was no conflict between the PTI and PML-Q over the dissolution of the Punjab Assembly, adding that in the An eye would be turned in no time at all to see whether the PTI boss could soon arrange for new elections in the province. “The decision to dissolve the Punjab Assembly should be prudent [and take into consideration] prevailing ground realities,” Moonis had told Dawn on Saturday.
However, Mr Khan also said on Sunday that he would complete preparations this month and follow his earlier decision to leave the two provincial assemblies. He said Prime Minister Chaudhry Parvez Elahi had given him full powers to dissolve the Punjab Assembly at any time.
In addition, he said he had always known that PML-N supreme leader Nawaz Sharif and PPP leader Asif Ali Zardari would never accept snap elections, fearing their arrest in corruption cases. “They have no interest in Pakistan,” he claimed. “The delay in new elections will affect neither me nor the PTI, but the country and its people.”
The PTI chief said the two politicians wanted to close their corruption cases in the light of “NRO-II” given by “a powerful man” he identified a day earlier as former retired army chief Gen. Qamar Bajwa.
He deplored the acquittal of PML-N Vice-President Maryam Nawaz, Finance Minister Ishaq Dar and Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah on corruption and other charges “under NGO-II”. Now, he added, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s son Suleman has returned home to be “cleansed”.
Mr Khan claimed the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) government had put its “own men” in charge of the National Accountability Bureau and the Federal Investigation Agency and was doing everything it could to destroy those institutions. Mr Khan expressed his fears, claiming these two state institutions have been tasked with digging up cases against him in order to disqualify him. He also claimed the chief election commissioner was working on a “one-item agenda” to disqualify him and weaken the PTI.
“Will this nation vote for anyone other than the PTI if I don’t officially remain party leader?”
The PTI chief also detailed the deteriorating state of the country’s economy using figures. He said all economic indicators were showing negative signs, including the GDP growth rate, a slowdown in exports as fewer dollars flow to Pakistan and increasing pressure on the rupee as it failed to appreciate 250 on the open market rupees, although the official rate was 224 rupees. The dollar was locked in at Rs178 when the PTI government was ousted by a no-confidence vote amid a “regime change plot”, he claimed.
When his party was in government, Khan said big industry grew 27.7 percent, which drives wealth creation, but now it has fallen to an embarrassing 0.4 percent.
“Why will investors come to Pakistan and build great industries when their dollars are already growing and they know any investment in Pakistan will go down the drain?” he asked.
Mr Khan also slammed media houses he claimed had talked about “inflation” during the PTI government, when the country was facing an international crisis of shortages of petroleum products.
“Now oil prices in the international market have fallen from $115 a barrel to $80 a barrel, the current inflation rate has risen to 24 percent, compared to almost half – 12.5 percent – when the PTI was in power ‘ Mr Khan explained.
Visibly flustered by reports of the sale of a wristwatch gifted to him by Saudi Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman, the former prime minister said the media is now engrossed in the wristwatch stories. “It was my watch, whether I sell it or not,” he exclaimed, avoiding the so-called propaganda surrounding it.
In response to a question, Mr Khan said he would investigate who was behind the registration of a case against party leader Shahbaz Gill at a police station near Lahore. He also sharply rebuked the PDM government for the allegedly inhuman torture unleashed on party Senator Azam Swati.
Meanwhile, PTI Secretary-General Asad Umar has announced that leading party leader Dr. Shireen Mazari will coordinate and manage relations with the international media and organizations alongside her current party-assigned responsibilities.
Published in Dawn, December 12, 2022
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