Saturday, 7 May, 2022 I 5 Shawwal, 1443 I Rs 15.00 I Vol XII No 307 I 12 Pages I Karachi Edition
Imran says he wIll gIve call for Islamabad long march any day after may 20
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staff report
ORMER prime minister and PTI Chairman Imran Khan on Friday told his party’s workers to remain prepared for the long march to Islamabad, saying he would announce the final date any day after May 20. Addressing a gathering in his hometown, Mianwali, he said a sea of people would reach the capital to demand only one thing – elections. “Let people decide who will rule us. We will not accept any imported government.” Imran told his workers that neither containers placed on the route could stop them from their march nor Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah, who he claimed had committed “18 murders”. He vowed that the nation would not bow before anyone as long as he was alive. The PTI chairman is conducting a whirlwind series of rallies, starting from today to May 20. According to a tweet by party leader Azhar Mashwani, the next rally will take place in Jhelum on May 10, followed by Attock on May 12, Sialkot on May 14, Faisalabad on May 15 and Chakwal on May 19.
Referring to his former aide Shahbaz Gill’s recent accident, Imran, during his address today, said he was warning the government that if it touched any PTI worker in the future, he would hold “three stooges and their handlers” responsible. Addressing the loudly cheering crowd, Imran said he had not seen such a huge rally previously. Talking about his government’s achievements, he said it had reduced the current account deficit for the first time in 11 years, adding that Pakistan was among a few countries which protected their people from the ramifications of the coronavirus pandemic. In addition, there were record remittances and crops, he said. “[Prime Minister] Shehbaz Sharif, you lodged a false FIR against me, and jailed [MNA] Rashid Shafique [in connection with the Madina incident]. Our women and children will take part in the march in Islamabad. If you try to stop it or lodge a similar FIR, then you will be responsible for what will happen,” he warned. Since all party workers would not be able to reach the capital on the day of the long march, they should instead protest in Mianwali, he said. “I am calling my sisters, brothers, youth and mothers to the capital be-
cause this is the matter of Pakistan. I want everyone of you to come to Islamabad to tell this boot-polisher that slavery and imported government is unacceptable and [demand that he] hold elections.” He said it was the nation that would decide who would form the government instead of the US. The PTI’s Punjab government was toppled through bribery, he claimed, adding that the then-opposition should be ashamed of paying people to switch loyalties. He also asked the judiciary why it had not taken suo motu action over the events. “If our courts can be opened at midnight, why can these thieves not be disqualified? If these looters come to your constituencies, you have to decide about them. These people who betrayed their country, Constitution, nation and voters should be taught a lesson by you so that in future, they should be afraid of repeating such actions.” He said Allah had ordered to people to take action against evil and not to remain neutral. Only an animal could remain neutral, he continued. The PTI chairman expressed confidence that people would take what he called the right decision, adding that it was the right time to wage jihad against “dacoits” and achieve real freedom. The ex-premier said he had started his political career from Mianwali and it was where he was launching his movement for real freedom as well. “I am foreseeing a golden period for Pakistan and we are heading towards a point we should have reached 75 years ago.” He slammed the incumbent prime minister, saying the country had never seen a “slave like the one at the helm right now”. Shehbaz’s son, son-in-law and brother had fled abroad while he had been “imposed” as the prime minister, Imran said. Imran vowed to continue “jihad” against the leaders of the incumbent coalition government, who he termed “looters”.
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Maryam rubbishes Imran’s claim of foreign conspiracy attock staff report
Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Vice President Maryam Nawaz on Friday dismissed allegations by former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan that a “foreign conspiracy” was hatched to topple his government. Addressing a public gathering in Fateh Jang, Attock, Maryam said the letter Imran has been referring to as an evidence of foreign conspiracy “does not even exist”, adding that the PTI chief has “lost his mental balance” after losing power in the wake of the no-confidence motion. She accused Imran of “repeatedly changing his narrative” about the conspiracy. “Sometimes he cries about conspiracy, sometimes he cries about the letter… Now, he will seek money on roads by showing that letter,” she said. “He [Imran Khan] said the letter was delivered in March [2022] but now he says he knew about the conspiracy since July [2021],” she added. Maryam said that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is exposing the inabilities of Imran Khan to the nation each day. “Imran Khan did not work himself nor did he let anyone else work,” she added. She also said that the PTI chief
Never meddled in Pakistan Army’s affairs, says ex-PM islamabad news desk
Former prime minister and PTI Chairman Imran Khan said he never wanted to bring his own army chief and that he never meddled in Pakistan Army’s affairs. In a podcast with Junaid Akram, Muzamil Hasan and TCM Originals on Thursday night, he spoke on reports of a “disagreement” between him and Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa, particularly related to the posting of the former chief of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), Lt General Faiz Hameed. He was responding to a question by one of the hosts, who asked him “what went wrong” with the former premier ’s relationship with the establishment. “Up until a few months ago we were hearing the ‘one page narrative’. So what happened all of a sudden. Was there an event that flipped things?” Talha Asad asked Imran. “It is said that there was some unpleasantness over Gen Faiz’s appointment and [they said] he wants to make Gen Faiz the army chief. This is where it started,” Imran said.
Imran then went on to give the example of former premier Nawaz Sharif, who according to him, was controlling all institutions of the country and wanted to control the army as well by appointing his own army chief. “I have never had an issue with army because I have never interfered [in their matters]. I never wanted to bring my own army chief. I always wanted to make the institutions of army, police and judiciary strong,” Imran went on to say. “I had only one problem. I got to know [last summers] that there was a possibility of a civil war in Afghanistan and I was afraid that if the US left Afghanistan, it would have repercussions for Pakistan,” he said, revealing that he wanted Gen Faiz to stay during the “vulnerable winters” that followed. The PTI chairman also said that he had started receiving news of PML-N’s campaign against him last July which was another reason why he wanted to continue with the intelligence chief, who in difficult times is the “eyes and ears” of the government. “To date, I have never done anything against merit,” he said. “So I can’t even think of going against merit for the [ap-
pointment of] the army chief.” Last year, reports had surfaced of an alleged standoff between the military and the government over the appointment of Lt Gen Nadeem Anjum as the new chief of the ISI. The army had announced on Oct 6, 2021 that the former ISI chief, Lt Gen Faiz Hameed, had been appointed the Peshawar corps commander, while Lt Gen Anjum was appointed in his place. But the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) had not issued an official notification of Lt Gen Anjum’s appointment until three weeks later, leading to frenzied speculation of strains in civil-military relations. After delays, the PMO had eventually notified the appointment of Lt Gen Nadeem Anjum as the new ISI chief on Oct 26. According to experts in defence matters, the procedure for appointment of the ISI director general is neither mentioned in the Constitution nor the Army Act, and all previous appointments were made as per traditions under which the army chief proposes three names to the prime minister who then makes the final decision. ‘Independent foreign policy doesn’t mean I’m anti-America’
shut down the electricity power plants installed during the tenure of PML-N. “When Usman Buzdar departed after ruling for four years, there was no electricity in Punjab. The PTI said there was no need for the power plants … if there was no need why did we have loadshedding,” she questioned. The PML-N leader hit out at the ex-PM for his plan to march towards Islamabad, saying Imran’s actual aim is to save Farah Khan — a close friend of his wife Bushra Bibi — against whom the National Accountability Bureau has begun an ‘assets beyond means’ inquiry. “As soon as Imran realised the impending success of the no-trust motion, he paved the way for Farah to leave the country within a day.” She asked why Farah left the country if her real estate business was thriving and flourishing in the country, as Imran has claimed. She hinted that Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah would take measures to bring the woman to the country to face corruption charges. PML-N has been accusing Imran and the PTI government of using Farah as their “frontperson” to secure bribes in different projects on behalf of the ruling elite. Maryam also alleged that Imran was more annoyed at Shehbaz becoming the prime minister than his own ouster.
more inside
The ex-premier, while talking about his ouster and events leading up to that, said that the sole reason behind the entire no-confidence saga was an independent foreign policy. “But what is wrong in it? An independent foreign policy doesn’t mean we are anti-America. In fact, I would say I am not even anti-Indian. I am against the racist policies and Kashmir policies of BJP and RSS. Even in America, I had good relations with the Trump administration.” The reason US turned “against me”, Imran said, was that he was unwilling to compromise on the policies that benefitted the 22 billion people of Pakistan. “They [the US] wanted us to cancel the Russia trip, stop trade with them, and limit [our] relationship with China. They are asking for bases here to stop international terrorism in Afghanistan,” he continued, asserting that he would never let Pakistan sabotage itself in someone else’s war. “They thought they could use Pakistan like a tissue paper, like they did during the war on terror,” the former PM said. “This is the number one reason why they conspired [against me] and then they found receptive people.”
Rasheed challenges Abbasi’s appointment as SAPM
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STORY ON BACK PAGE
STORY ON PAGE 02
Fawad expects CJP to decide on judicial commission regarding ‘foreign conspiracy’ this week STORY ON PAGE 03
Govt has decided to crack down on people spreading ‘immoral videos’ on social media: Sanaullah