Says ‘gang of thugs’ has united to topple govt to evade accountability; Rs500b additional funds to be spent for South Punjab development
Prime Minister Imran Khan on Sunday took the opposition to task over their steps to bring a no-confidence motion against him, warning them of “dire consequences” in case their endeavour failed.
At a public gathering in Mailsi tehsil, the prime minister delivered a hard-hitting speech and addressed the planned opposition manoeuvre against him.
“I am prepared to respond to them but I want to ask them, ‘are you prepared to face what I will do once the no-confidence move fails’,” he said. He said that he would “fight off this gang till the last drop of his blood”.
He called opposition leaders a “gang of thugs fleeing accountability”, saying: “These thugs have been looting this country for the past 35 years.” He added: “These thugs have made a wealthy nation poor.”
The nation, he said, continues to remain in the same state when such thugs unite to plunder the resources and take turns to do so.” Imran went on to say that such thugs start to make a joint effort to topple the government when any sort of accountability is initiated against them.
He further said that because of this “gang”, the Pakistani nation is today under debt. “A nation that cannot tell right from wrong can never uplift itself.”
Taking aim at opposition leaders, he said: “One that flees the country can never be its leader. In the past too, Nawaz Sharif fled Attock jail by forging lies.”
Imran Khan said, “They have put up a show and this absconder and his daughter [Mariam Nawaz] then blame the armed forces.”
Calling Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman “Fazlu”, PM Imran said: “I will never call him a Maulana and I urge him to rather think about his
Hereafter.” “Both, he and I are of the same age and we don’t know when either of us dies. So I will advise him to think about hereafter,” he advised the JUI-F leader.
“This man [Fazl] takes seminary students to the streets to fulfil his ‘interests’. The fact is the country doesn’t need a conspirer with him present here.” “Why do the Jews need to hatch a conspiracy? You are enough,” he said.
He further told Fazl that he should “fear God on making money in the name of religion”.
“I came into politics 25 years ago to fight against them (his political rivals). I will fight them until [my last breath]. I will face them and I am completely prepared for whatever [they throw my way],” he said.
“But to the gang of thieves I say this: Are you ready for what I will do with you once your plans for a no-trust motion fail?”
The prime minister then named his main political rivals individually and questioned their credentials and motives. “First there is criminal number one Nawaz Sharif,” he said, stating that the PML-N supremo gave a performance worthy of Bollywood when he was handed a prison sentence by the Supreme Court.
“If PML-N workers are listening, pay attention: how can a geedar (jackal) become a leader? Have you ever heard of a leader being someone who runs away with his tail between his legs?” PM Imran said, adding that this was the second time that Nawaz had fled the country, with the first being during the tenure of former military ruler retired Gen Pervez Musharraf.
Turning his guns towards PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif, he said that the best way to learn about the younger Sharif was to ask Maqsood chaprasi (peon), whose account was allegedly used by the Sharif family to launder money.
