- Says PTI will stop movement if goVt will accept the ToRs of opposition over Panama issue
ISLAMABAD, July 20: As the opposition parties have failed to reach a consensus over the inquiry mechanism of Panama leaks, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chairman Imran Khan on Wednesday announced launching a nationwide, anti-corruption movement on August 7.
“We will hold a protest in front of National Accountability Bureau (NAB) headquarters on July 25 in Islamabad and then initiate countrywide movement from August 7,” Imran told reporters in Islamabad.
Khan said that the protest against NAB was being carried out because the institution did not carry out investigation against the government even after three months of the surfacing of the Panama Papers. He asked under which laws NAB acquit Federal Finance Minister Ishaq Dar?
He went on stating that there were different laws in the country for the rich and the poor.
The PTI chairman said he was not struggling for the last 20 years to impose martial law but to strengthen democracy.
“If the military takes over, it will adversely affect our party most. We have been struggling to strengthen democracy.”
The PTI chief said if Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is not held accountable, no one could investigated.
“Anywhere in the world where Panama Papers controversy had surfaced, investigations were done. But why is NAB not investigating Nawaz Sharif?” Imran asked.
The government does not want any accountability against the premier, he added.
He said that the movement will be called-off if the government agrees upon forming a commission according to the Terms of References (TORs) formulated by the Opposition catering the investigation of the Panama Papers. He said that he was also ready to be investigated according to the TORs that shall be used to carry out investigation against Prime Minister (PM) Nawaz Sharif.
“No one will be held accountable until accountability of PM Nawaz gets carried out,” Khan stated. He added that the party shall first make the people aware and will then proceed towards carrying out a sit-in.
He said that when coup was staged in the country during the previous tenure of PM Nawaz, the people were fed up of the government as it did not deliver and that is why they did not hit the streets, adding that the coup in Turkey failed as the country s leader worked on the welfare of his people and the country s prosperity.
Imran Khan also announced that the party shall be initiating a fund raising campaign for the anti-government movement, further stating that all party members shall be asked to contribute. “PTI has 3 million members and each member shall be required to contribute Rs 100,” said the party chairman.-Online
