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ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan on Monday called for imposition of emergency in the country to prevent the dollar from moving abroad amid rapid devaluation of Pakistani rupee.

Addressing a meeting of the PTI’s “national council,” Khan also gave a protest call on Thursday outside the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), as the party is pressing for resignation of the chief election commissioner (CEC).

“Punjab assembly has already passed a resolution demanding resignation of the CEC and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa assembly would also pass a similar resolution soon,” he said, adding that majority people of the country has lost their trust in the present Election Commission.

Expressing serious concerns over the state of the country’s economy, the PTI chairman pointed out that the country is facing serious crisis of dollars and the rapidly devaluation of Pakistani rupee.

He called for imposition of emergency with a view to prevent the US dollar from moving out of the country, adding that the local currency has depreciated by 30 percent in the last three to four months. He alleged that the local currency’s depreciation was in the interest of the rulers, as “it benefits these thieves when price of the dollar increases against Pakistani rupee.”

Khan claimed that when the PTI left the government, foreign exchange and remittances started decreasing. He claimed that the external deficit was $ 2.6 billion in March, which has reached $ 6.2 billion. “When the no-confidence motion was brought, the national treasury was $ 16.45 billion dollars, today it has reduced to $8.4 billion,” he further maintained, adding that a World Bank report had also acknowledged that Pakistan had the lowest unemployment rate during coronavirus pandemic.

Economy cannot stabilise until return of political stability: Imran Khan

The PTI chairman said that the meeting was aimed at updating the party’s constitution, adding that he has also decided to re-organise the party prior to the next general elections with an optimism to get a two-thirds majority in the next National Assembly. He said that intra-party elections will be held with a view to ensure merit, adding that he had realised that many of his party’s members are not familiar with the party’s ideology.

Khan added that he wanted electronic voting machines (EVMs) for free and fair elections “but the CEC tried every way possible to sabotage it”.

He maintained that the ruling parties disagreed with holding elections through the EVMs because they wanted to rig the elections. Before the by-elections in Punjab, he added that the PTI was the only one preparing to stop the polls from getting rigged.

In the PTI’s constitution, he added that a provision is being added to the party’s constitution that a person who has all his wealth abroad and noting in the country, should not be allowed to become a ruler in of country.

Criticising Sharif and Zardari families, Khan pointed out three reasons of those having all their wealth abroad, adding that either it is looted wealth, tax evasion, and the third reason that they do not believe that Pakistan will remain for long.

“That’s why we think no one, who has assets abroad should not be allowed to become a rule of the country,” he said, adding that his party would bring in its constitution that those having nothing in the country would have no right to rule over this country. “Pakistan cannot be put on the path of development unless we stop the path of these people coming into the power,” he added.

Referring to the recent telephonic call by Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa with United States Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman, he maintained that the government has lost its credibility to the extent that the army chief is now holding telephonic calls with foreign leaders.

About the foreign debt, he said that it not a “tough task” to return the foreign loans and steer this country out of the crises once the confidence of the overseas Pakistan restores, adding that at present the overseas Pakistanis have lost their trust in the present government.

On Thursday, he added that the PTI would hold a protest outside the ECP, adding that the majority of the country has lost confidence in the present Commission. He said that Punjab assembly has passed its resolution against the chief election commissioner and the KP assembly would also pass a similar resolution soon.

The gathering was also addressed by senior party leaders, including vice chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi and secretary-general Asad Umar.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022

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