PTI fighting against status quo, those taking turns in govt to loot country’s resources: Imran

PESHAWAR: Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Saturday said the PTI was struggling against the status quo of taking turns by the two political parties to rule the country for plundering its resources.

Addressing a big public gathering here at Model Town Hall, Imran Khan said only a few people were usurping resources, while the country suffered as the common man was becoming poorer with each passing day.

A decade ago, he said, the country’s foreign debut was around Rs 6 trillion ($6,000 billion), which had now swelled to Rs 27 trillion ($27,000 billion). Similarly, each Pakistani had burdened with foreign debt equivalent to Rs 35,000 ten years ago, which had now raised to Rs 160,000.

He asked why the foreign debut was increasing each year and where that money was going, alleging that it was being plundered by the two parties ruling the country turn by turn. In the so-called Charter of Democracy, the leadership of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) had made an agreement that they would give chance to each other to loot the national resources, he alleged.

Citing the example of Switzerland, he said it was a developed country despite having less natural resources. Whereas Pakistan, he added, was bestowed with abundant natural resources, but due to their non-utilization its people were reeling under poverty.

The earning of Switzerland from tourism was equal to the budget of Pakistan, which had much more beautiful and scenic sites and resorts, he added.

He said Pakistan had blessed with 12 seasons and every fruit, vegetable and agri crop could be grown but the country lacked far behind in comparison with the other developed countries.

He said in Switzerland institutions were strong and its people could not do corruption and they could not question if arrested for any wrongdoing. No one raised the question why he was ousted while in Pakistan, the influential roamed free without any fear of being checked by the departments concerned, he regretted.

The PTI chief reaffirmed his pledge of making Pakistan a prosperous country after coming into power by providing technical education to the youth and increasing tax collection without making increasing tax rate.

He said the tax collection would be increased by widening the tax web, not through increasing the tax rate and burdening those who were already paying taxes. Today, annual tax collection in the country was Rs 4,000 billion and he would double it to Rs 8000 billion within one year, he claimed.

He pledged that the PTI after forming the government would invest on the development of human resource to alleviate poverty, generate employment opportunities and improve the living standard of people.

Imran Khan said the biggest problem of Pakistan was unemployment and lack of proper education. In government schools, only the children of the poor were studying while for those of the opulent class, the education system was separate. He would improve the education system in government schools, as was made in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa during the last five-year of the PTI government, he added.

The PTI chief said nations, who achieved exemplary progress and development was due to their investment on human resources by imparting quality education, especially vocational training and technical skills to the youth.

Nations, he said,"make progress through education, not through constructing roads and launching of mega projects. If a labourer is imparted proper technical education, he can earn thousands in a day which an ordinary worker earns in months. Similarly, if we make investment on the youth and help them become engineers, they can earn millions and can immensely contribute to the country's development."

Today in Pakistan, he said, over 20 million children were out of schools. How they would contribute in country’s development in future without getting education, he asked and added around 200, 000 children died every year due in Pakistan to intake of contaminated water.

Imran Khan urged the people to cast vote for the PTI candidates. He held out assurance of keeping a check on the performance of PTI elected parliamentarians and said he would be responsible for any of their wrongdoings.

He would evolve such a system where any parliamentarian, who committed any wrongdoing, would be pointed out, caught and punished, he added.

He also criticized JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, who, he claimed, would not be able join any government in future.

Imran Khan said the general election would change the fate of people and urged the masses to exercise their right of franchise wisely so that the country could be put the track of development and prosperity.