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Imran offers govt ‘exit plan’
* PTI chief suggests govt to constitute commission under supervision of SC to probe rigging in general election * Proposed commission should include members from ISI and MI and submit report within four to six weeksRAHIM YAR KHAN: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on Sunday withdrew his demand of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s resignation while putting forth a fresh demand to form a commission comprising members of judiciary and spy agencies Military Intelligence (MI) and Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) to investigate alleged rigging in last year’s elections.
Addressing a rally, the PTI chief demanded that the commission be made by November 30 and that it should complete its investigation of the alleged rigging in general elections 2013 in four to six weeks. He said Nawaz Sharif can remain prime minister during this time while the sit-in will also continue. However, he said, Nawaz must resign if the commission proves rigging. Imran warned that the fresh sit-in protest scheduled to take place on November 30 “would not necessarily be peaceful” and that it would make it tough for the government to continue.
He said the PTI has not turned down negotiations and dialogue, alleging that the dialogue process was stopped by the government. Imran Khan also criticised the judiciary, saying that it might be independent but not yet impartial. He also rejected Tassaduq Hussain Jilani’s candidacy for the post of chief election commissioner (CEC). Imran said he does not trust Jilani, adding that he had proposed Nasir Aslam Zahid for the post on behalf of PTI. Imran said an impartial person should be head of the proposed commission to be decided by Nawaz Sharif and himself. If the commission comes out with a report confirming rigging, Nawaz Sharif will have to resign, the PTI chief said.
Imran said if his offer was not accepted he would give a new course of action and whatever loss is incurred after that, it would be due to PM Nawaz Sharif. “It is our right to demand justice,” Imran said. If elections are held after the commission’s report, he said, they should be under a new election commission “because we have no trust in the present four election commissioners and they should resign”. Imran said that he and his party would not accept an election commission “that is not composed of neutral people”.
Imran said he is staging the sit-in for the people of Pakistan “because if rigging is not stopped”, there would never be free, fair and transparent elections in Pakistan. He said people have the power to vote to teach a lesson to the government, and if the government thinks that it could come to power again through rigging, it would not care about price hike or unemployment. “If you want to get out of poverty, you will have to ensure that the sanctity of vote is respected and there is no rigging,” he told the gathering.
Imran noted that he had demanded recounting of votes in four constituencies but the government did not oblige. He said he would continue the sit-in unless those who rigged the elections are exposed. Predicting early elections in the country, the PTI chief said “he would not go with a begging bowl” to IMF or the US, as a self-respecting leader never bows before anyone. The PTI chairman claimed that he is the only political leader in the country whom the nation trusts. He said when the people have faith that their tax money would be used for their welfare, the number of taxpayers would go up from the present 8.5%.
Imran said that according to the Transparency International, if electricity theft is stopped, the power tariff would come down to half. He said he had burnt his electricity bill because he does not want to pay for electricity thieves. Imran Khan alleged that because of the poor governance Pakistan Steel Mills (PSM) had suffered a loss of Rs 125 billion, and PIA Rs 200 billion. He said the real opposition is coming from the sit-in and not from parliament. His party, he stated, was raising the issue of corruption from a container at the sit-in site.
Imran Khan announced on Sunday that a “new Pakistan” will emerge soon as the masses are fed up with the “current system of injustice”. The PTI chief said that two parties (PPP and PML-N) have ruled the country for the past 30 years. “No one will plunder the people in the new Pakistan. Women will also play a key role in the new Pakistan,” Imran said. He said the money of taxpayers will not be spent on the foreign trips of the leaders. The PTI, he said, had given political awareness to the women. He said the sit-in will continue until “those who rigged the elections” are jailed and punished.
Imran criticised excessive billing and said, “We pay the price of the monetary dacoity through hiked tariffs and this is why I have burnt my electricity bill.” “I want to thank and congratulate you, the people of Rahim Yar Khan,” he added. “Today is Iqbal Day, Iqbal is my ideological role model. He is sea of philosophy that I consider myself incapable to comprehend,” Imran said. He added: “I have been to Rahim Yar Khan before but I was clueless of the fact that these many people reside here.”
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk