- Nawaz Sharif you are corrupt, you are dacoit and you are looter. You have looted the money of Pakistani people: Sh Rasheed
- Ch Sarwar praised Supreme Court and the Army, calling the two institutions credible
- Nawaz was disqualified because he fooled and misled the nation, and plundered the national exchequer: Shah Mehmood Qureshi
RAWALPINDI, August 13: Leaders of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) and the Awami Muslim League (AML) are sharing a stage at Liaquat Bagh in Rawalpindi, where a large number supporters have turned up on the call of Imran Khan and Sheikh Rashid for an “Azadi jalsa”.
PTI chief Imran Khan and AML head Sheikh Rashid can be seen on stage along with other leaders, while the ground appears filled to capacity despite a downpour that has been lashing the city since the evening.
Khan, addressing the crowd at Liaquat Bagh after six years, praised Sheikh Rashid for “waging a jihad against corruption and political mafia for the last nine years.”
“For three years, Nawaz Sharif has been controlling all the institutions; this was the first time, that he wasn’t able to control the joint investigation team or the Supreme Court – that is why he [Nawaz] is calling it [his disqualification] a conspiracy,” thundered Khan. “This is not a conspiracy, this is Naya Pakistan.”
PTI vice-chairman Shah Mehmood Qureshi started his speech by asking, “What am I guilty of?”, taking a jibe at former prime minister Nawaz Sharif. In nearly all of Sharif’s speeches that he delivered on his way to Lahore from Islamabad, he demanded to know the reason for his disqualification. “Someone tell me, why was I deposed?” he had asked, repeating the question frequently during his four-day GT Road rally last week.
Answering the question, Qureshi said that Nawaz was disqualified because he fooled and mislead the nation, and plundered the national exchequer.
“Nawaz Sharif talks about honouring the mandate; [he should know that] transparent elections guarantee the honour of the mandate,” said Qureshi. He asked the crowd to join him in creating a new Pakistan under the leadership of PTI chief Imran Khan.
Speaking to the crowd, PTI leader Chaudhry Mohammad Sarwar praised the Supreme Court and the Pakistan Army, calling the two institutions credible. “Rest [of the institutions] have been compromised because their heads are appointed by the government,” he said.
Ahead of the gathering, the PTI started distributing pamphlets, titled “We will tell you why you were disqualified”, via a private helicopter at Liaquat Bagh and nearby areas.
Earlier, Zahid Kazmi, PTI district president, had claimed that Rawalpindi was the PTI’s fort “which will be proved on August 13.” He explained that Imran Khan had not announced his plan for coming to Rawalpindi to celebrate Independence Day which is why a separate rally was being planned.
AML leader while addressing the gathering said that Nawaz Sharif you always ask that what is my fault, Nawaz Sharif I tell you that you are corrupt, you are dacoit and you are looter. You have looted the money of Pakistani people. -Agencies
