Govt itself a hurdle in true democracy, says Imran Khan

KARACHI - Chairman Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Imran Khan has said that the government itself is a speed-breaker in the way of democracy. He said that Musharraf had violated the Constitution and no country has any right to protect him from trial, yet the difference of law for the poor and the influential has become very visible in the shape of the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO). Establishing bases for American marines is a clear sign of fragile democracy in the country, while the rulers have destroyed the sovereignty of the country by following the policies of America. America conquered Iraq and Afghanistan but what happened to Pakistan as agencies like Black Water is coming to Pakistan posing a threat to countrys sovereignty, he asked. Imran strongly condemned establishing of American Bases at Gharo and Tarbella, and he also lashes out leasing of Pakistans agricultural land to foreign countries for their food security. The system of local bodies should not be abolished as it is to help the masses at their doorstep, he added. He asked the government to immediately take measures to resolve the issues of Balochistan through peaceful actions by the help of police and intelligence agencies and not by the military operation as Pakistan has had very negative consequences of launching military operations like Lal Masjid and against MQM in 1992. He suggested widening of tax net in order to help the country as Pakistan has Rs4 trillion internal debts and 2 billion dollar external debt. He said that the alarming ratio of corruption in the country should also be handled strictly. Moreover, he told that a diagnostic centre in Karachi would be functional from next month, and establishing a cancer hospital in Karachi is also on the cards. Pet scan machine, the best available machine in the world to detect tumour of cancer at the very early stage, has already been installed at Shaukhat Khanam Cancer Hospital.

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