By Raja Aamir Mahmood Bhatti
ISLAMABAD: March 4, 2021 (Diplomatic Star): Prime Min-ister Imran Khan addressed nation on Thursday expressing strong resolve to continue his struggle for rule of law and eradication the country of corruption from the country, He also reaffirmed his fight against the corrupt till he was alive and even did not remain in power.
During his live address, Prime Minister remarked that “If I do not remain in power or sit on opposition benches, it does not make any difference to me. I will continue struggling for rule of law, and fighting these thieves and dacoits till I am alive.” Prime Minister expressed his confidence that Pakistan was bound to emerge as a great nation in accordance with the dreams of its founding fathers, he was of the view that, “This country will go up, and these big thieves and dacoits will be behind the bars.”
Expressing great regret, Imran Khan mentioned that despite agreeing on the holding of Senate elections through open ballot in the Charter of Democracy (COD) signed by the two parties i.e.the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and also in later statements, they now opposed the idea of open balloting to pave the way for corruption. He said since he was opposed to secret balloting in the Senate elections, his government introduced a bill in the Parliament for open ballot and also approached the Supreme Court for that purpose.
Mentioning the undemocratic tactics used in Senate Elections, Prime Minister commented that the opposition parties’ use of undemocratic tactics to get Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani elected on a Senate seat from the Federal Capital in a move to pressurize him and frighten him from the no confidence motion. He also announced that he was going to take a vote of confidence from the National Assembly on Saturday, March 6.
During his address he further reaffirmed that as voting on the confidence motion would be open, even the Members of National Assembly (MNAs) belonging to the Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI) could vote against him if they did not support him and “I will go to the opposition benches”. Prime Minister sated that, “The people do not come out for the corrupt but against the corrupt and corruption.”
Highlighting the controversial leaded video and audio, Prime Minister Imran Khan mentioned video and audio leaks of Ali Haider Gilani son of Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani showing the distribution of money among some members of the Parliament ahead of the Senate elections, and questioned whether it was democracy.
During his address, Prime Minister also called out the opposition saying that whole drama staged by the opposition parties in favor of secret ballot and opposing open ballot in the Senate elections was aimed at Yusuf Raza Glani being elected as a senator through unjust means.
He said the whole nation knew that Syed Yusuf Raza Glani was a man, who being a prime minister in the past did not write a letter to the authorities in Switzerland for the repatriation of $ 60 million despite the instructions of Supreme Court and preferred to be disqualified.
“If that money of around Rs 8 to 9 billion stashed abroad through illegal means would have come back to the country, it would have been used for the construction of schools, hospitals and other things,” the prime minister remarked. The opposition parties, he added, were now celebrating the election of a person as senator, who was disqualified in the past for not obeying the orders of the apex court.
Prime Minister also emphasized that the opposition parties not only opposed the government’s bill in the National Assembly but also stood against the idea of open ballot during the Supreme Court’s hearing. Critiquing Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), Prime Minister Imran Khan held Election Commission of Pakistan, responsible for transparent Senate elections, also favoured secret ballot during the Supreme Court proceedings but failed.
“If there was an option of identification on ballot papers through a bar-code, our 15 to 18 members would not have been sold.” The secret ballot in the Senate elections had hurt democracy he added. While questioning the credibility of Senate elections, Prime Minister Imran Khan commented that, when a senator was elected by spending lot of money, how he / she could serve democracy. “What examples we are setting for our generations,” he questioned.
“They are thinking that if they will hang a sword of no-confidence on me, I will give them an NRO (National Reconciliation Ordinance),” Imran Khan said. He was going to take a vote of confidence from the National Assembly on March 6.
Prime Minister Imran Khan underlined that, “Those, who has indulged in taking and giving money in the Senate elections, should also think about the life hereafter”, adding that “If there was an open ballot, the PTI’s candidate would have been elected in the Senate elections on general seat from the Federal.
