SWABI/Mardan - Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf chief Imran Khan said on Saturday that some elements were out to devise a plan to postpone the July 25 general election but it would be held despite various conspiracies. Addressing a big public rally in Gohati cricket ground in Swabi, Khan said that the continuous suicide attacks had shaken him but made clear that they were not afraid of terrorists and none of the public meetings of PTI would be postponed at any price. He said that two factors caused the recent suicide attacks; one was internal and other was external. He did not explain the factors.

However, he said that internal elements, who don’t want a prosperous Pakistan and the election, had devised a plan to indulge in such activities and the external powers also wanted to harm the country. He said after hearing about killing of Siraj Raisani, he wanted to postpone the Swabi, Mardan and Texila public gatherings, but on the other hand, he thought about the younger generation who were the future of the country and real builders of the nation and they need to be put on the right track to take the country out of crises.

About ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif, he said that about 22 years back he had said that the most serious threat to the country was the menace of corruption which was eating all vitals of the country. “Nawaz Sharif’s one son lives in a Rs600 crore house and the other one in Rs300 crore house. From where all this was collected,” he questioned.

“From where Nawaz Sharif had managed Rs300 billion,” he questioned while telling the gathering to reject the corrupt people. He said that these leaders had looted the public and then shifted the same through different strategies. “The PTI is against such policy and wanted that the leadership should focus on economic development and people welfare instead of accumulating wealth,” he said.

“I do not have a signal penny abroad. It’s an open secret and could be checked by anyone,” he said. He said that so far the nation has not raised against the corrupt leaders, otherwise, Pakistan could have achieved real economic progress and the dream of a prosperous country could not be achieved. He said that every outgoing government in past two decades left two things: an empty treasure and JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman who remained part of every government and deceived the masses. “Due to wrong policies and priorities, the country’s debt climbed to an unbelievable level and the dollar had devoured our currency,” Khan said.

“The price of electricity had increased 410 percent in the last one decade, the wheat flour price jumped from Rs13 per kg to Rs45, petrol and diesel prices increased 380 percent but nobody thinks about the poor masses on whom the entire burden had been transferred,” the PTI chief said. Asad Qisar, former speaker of KP assembly, Shahram Khan Tarakai, former provincial minister and other contesting candidates of PTI also addressed the rally. Addressing a rally in Mardan, the PTI chief said that the Awami National Party (ANP) and the Pakistan People’s Party cannot eradicate corruption because their leaders themselves were involved in corruption. “Our competition in Mardan is with the ANP,” he said while speaking at a huge public meeting held at railway ground.

A large number of PTI workers attended the rally. Former provincial minister Mohammad Atif Khan who is contesting election against ANP provincial president Haider Hoti and other candidates was also present. 

Khan said that Mardan was a political city and the people of Mardan have a political thought. “The masses of Mardan are politically aware,” he said. “What will be the benefit of the masses if the ANP came to power? Can ANP do away with inflation,” he asked the participants. He said that before 2013 elections, militancy was high in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa but “when we came to power, militancy incidents decreased and it was controlled in the province. He said that “we brought change in the police culture of the province”. The PTI chief said that today KP police were better than the police force of other provinces.

He said that more than 1200 police cops were targeted in the war on terror. He said that “if we are voted to power, we will bring reforms in the police force of other provinces”.  He said that for the last 25 years he had been raising slogan against corruption and “today masses are aware of corruption”.  Khan said that due to corruption in the last 10 years, the rate of electricity has increased to 460 percent, gas to 380 percent, milk to 400 percent per kg.

Khan said that PPP Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari is the king of corruption. He said that the Supreme Court after a one-year search declared him (Imran) “Sadiq and Ameen”. He said that election had to be won for the next generation.