ISLAMABAD : Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday, while describing the 10-year rule of PPP (Pakistan Peoples Party) and PML-N (Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz) from 2008 to 2018 as a “decade of darkness”, said they destroyed the national institutions through corruption, malpractices, over-employment and appointment of incompetent people without following merit.
“Be it Pakistan Steel, Utility Stores etc. They destroyed all important institutions during the 10 years of their rule. I call it a decade of darkness,” Imran Khan said in an interview with a private television channel (Bol News).
Highlighting the importance of meritocracy and rule of law in the development of any country, he said no state could move forward and achieve welfare and progress without following the basic principles, first adopted in the world by the State of Madina.
His idea of a “Naya Pakistan”, he said, also based on those basic fundamentals as various countries, including China by following the principles achieved development and reduced poverty.
To a question, the prime minister said he was the only politician in Pakistan, who had not come from the nursery of GHQ. “Even Zulfikar Ali Bhutto (former prime minister) formed his own party (PPP) after serving in the cabinet of General Ayub Khan,” he remarked.
“Nawaz Sharif, who grew through feeding in the GHQ nursery, now claims to be a super democrat,” he added.
To another question, Imran Khan said calling the PDM (Pakistan Democratic Movement) leaders including Sharifs, Bilawal and Maulana Fazlur Rehman politicians was negation of the democracy as visualized by the country’s founder fathers.
The only issue of the PDM leadership was to avoid accountability through an NRO (National Reconciliation Ordinance) which he would never give, he added.
Prime Minister Imran Khan, to a question, said until the leaders were not made accountable and answerable under the rule of law, the country could not achieve progress and prosperity.
“If a prime minister indulges in corruption and destroys the country, how can you expect from the officers at lower strata to work with honesty,” he remarked.
He said most of the rich countries, which were following rule of law, were progressing and prospering, whereas those with corrupt leaders and corrupt practices were among the poorest nations.
To a query, the prime minister said contrary to the bloody revolution like that of Iran, which was quick, he was pursuing the slow-process revolution, which came through ballot, to reform the country and the society.
To another question, Imran Khan remarked that the political families of Sharifs and Bhuttos had been enjoying the country’s rule for the last 35 years turn after turn and when questioned about their assets they said they were not accountable and answerable.
“This is the first parliament, which is running without diesel,” the prime minister remarked and added that Maulana Fazlur Rehman, who had been part of every government in the past, was not able to answer questions about his properties.
To another query, he said seeking amendment in 34 clauses of NAB (National Accountability Bureau) Law during the legislation on FATF (Financial Action Task Force) by the opposition in writing was actually an NRO.
He said the NROs given by General ® Pervez Musharraf to the PPP and the PML-N was a big hit to the economy and its effects were still being faced by the poor due to four time increase in the country’s debt.
To a question about the revelations of UK asset recovery firm Broadsheet regarding the money laundering of Sharif family, Imran Khan said his government would officially approach the firm to get the details.
The prime minister, in response to a question about the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) foreign funding case in the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), said he would request the ECP to make public the audited reports of PTI, PPP, PML-N and JUI-F for clarity of the issue among the masses.
The PTI, he added, was the only political party in Pakistan, which launched political fund-raising campaigns abroad to collect funds from the expatriate community and all the party funds received from 40,000 overseas Pakistanis were properly audited and accounted for.
“We don’t have the people like Cheeni Walay and Paparr Walay,” the prime minister remarked and said he knew that the opposition parties from the PDM got foreign funding.
About the government’s future course of action after the expiry of Nawaz Sharif’s passport and the reports of his travel to Saudi Arabia, Imran Khan said the matter was under consultation.
The prime minister, in response to another question, said he never gave a date about bringing Nawaz Sharif back to country. There were only two options for bringing him (Nawaz) back including through deportation or extradition.
He, however, regretted that the whole family of Sharifs and Ishaq Dar were hiding in London to protect the looted public wealth.
About the Senate elections, the prime minister said the government had approached the Supreme Court to ensure transparency in the elections of the Upper House of Parliament through open ballot and check corruption