Pakistan

Gujrat jalsa: Imran rules out return to ‘bogus assemblies’

PTI chief promises a ‘sea of people’ in Islamabad on Nov 30.

Our Correspondent October 24, 2014

GUJRAT:

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan has said that lawmakers of his party who have resigned from the federal and provincial legislatures will not return to the ‘bogus assemblies’. This statement came two days after parliamentary leaders of most parties advised Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif not to accept the resignations of PTI lawmakers.

“Who are you to not accept our resignations?” asked Imran, referring to the prime minister. “We will not return to the parliament. We will revoke the party membership of anyone who goes against our decision,” the PTI chief told a huge crowd of supporters at the Chaudhry Zahoor Elahi Stadium in Gujrat.

The statement coincided with a notice to PTI lawmakers from National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq to personally verify their resignations at his chamber on October 29. He warned them to verify their resignations individually or else their resignations will be accepted, according to an official statement.

Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) leader Tahirul Qadri called off his 67-day-long dharna in Islamabad on Tuesday, triggering speculation about the fate of PTI’s sit-in. However, Imran reiterated that he would not wind up his dharna until the prime minister resigned and ordered an impartial audit of the 2013 elections which, he alleges, were massively rigged.

Imran thanked Qadri for persevering in his sit-in for over two months. “The way PAT workers resisted the ‘Gullu Butts’ of Punjab police on August 31 is commendable,” he said, adding that the objectives of PAT and PTI were different.

“I will never call off my sit-in,” Imran reiterated. “Even if we run out of funds for lighting arrangements or sound system, I’ll live in a tent alone, but will not leave the venue.”

Imran alleged that the prime minister was not resigning because he had to receive kickbacks from contracts worth millions of dollars that he had signed. “He will not step down because he will lose billions of rupees.”

Referring to the huge turnout at his rallies, Imran said the nation has decided to stand up to the oppressors. The PTI has staged massive public rallies in Karachi, Lahore, Mianwali, Bahawalpur, Gujranwala and Multan.

“People have realised that now is the time for change,” he said. “Those who have seen me in cricket know that I always fight till the end,” said the cricketer-turned-politician who had won world cup for Pakistan in 1992.

The PTI chairman asked all Pakistanis to reach Islamabad on November 30. “A sea of people will converge in Islamabad on November 30,” he added. “It will be the largest crowd in the history of Islamabad.” Imran said his party will hold more rallies after the month of Muharram.

Imran also condemned Thursday’s suicide attack on JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman in Quetta but said the comments of the politico-religious cleric about women’s participants in PTI’s rallies were deplorable. “I did not like the way you [Fazl] talked about women who attend our sit-in,” he added. “We want our mothers and daughters to play their role in making a Naya Pakistan.”

The PTI chairman also made an appeal to the Pakistani nation for donations, saying that he would work for public as opposed to other politicians who worked for investors and capitalists. “I want money from you. You will run my sit-in,” he said. “If I get funds, the movement will spread throughout the country.”

Responding to PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari’s comments about PTI’s sources of income, Imran said, “I get money not the way you got it,” he added. “This money is not from corruption or theft. It is donated by the Pakistani nation.”

Published in The Express Tribune, October 25^th, 2014.

COMMENTS (7)

Shahid | 9 years ago | Reply

@roarwali , Imran is a coward man, he knows if he leaves dharna his party will be in tatters within few days so this is the reason he is wasting time of both the nation and himself.

roarwali | 9 years ago | Reply

What a leader Imran is! Never giving up and pursuing his mission of Naya Pakistan. He's a role model for all who want to do something positive in life. I salute you IK for your bravery, vision and tireless efforts for making Pakistan prosperous country.