Corrupt people trying to buy conscience of members of Parliament: PM

Hafizabad: Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan has said that the corrupt people were trying to buy the conscience of members of the Parliament using looted money and it was the responsibility of the state to stop that.

Addressing to the large number of participants, the prime minister said by the time his government completes its five-year term he will have finished record development projects in Punjab. He also said that nations that deviate from their ideology and fail to fight injustice cannot make progress. “If we want to become a great nation, we need to support virtue,” he said.

He promised the people of Punjab that his government will work on the development of the province, something which he claimed would be unprecedented in the country's history. He also said that 25 years ago, he decided to join politics for the sake of the country's youth, adding that he had no personal gains from doing so as he already had everything in life that a person could dream of.

He said he did not enter the politics to see how tomatoes and potatoes were priced but he wanted to unite Pakistanis as one nation. He said he saw Pakistan’s respect decline after Quaid-e-Azam as subsequent leaders did not know the purpose of the existence of the country, which was founded on the principle of Islam. “That’s why I created the Rehmatul-lil-Alameen Authority because I wanted to build my nation’s character.”

The prime minister claimed that all the previous leaders of the country had no idea why was Pakistan created in the first place. He then talked about the educational system of Pakistan and explained why his government decide to implement the Single National Curriculum.

"In a bid to uplift this nation, we first worked on the Single National Curriculum and then introduced 2.6 million merit-based scholarships for the youth of the country," he said. He said that for the first time in Pakistan, the PTI-led government will be building two technology universities in the country so that Pakistan can also be at the forefront when it comes to technological innovations and inventions.

Nawaz Sharif, Zardari allowed drone attacks into Pakistani territories

PM Khan said that Pakistan desire friendly and peaceful relations with all countries including the United States (US). “Pakistan wants friendly ties with all the countries across the globe but will never compromise on its sovereignty,” he added.

Lashing out at the past rulers, the premier said record drone attacks were carried out in the tenures of the PML-N and the PPP. Both Nawaz Sharif and Asif Ali Zardari allowed drone attacks into Pakistani territories, he alleged.

Without taking anyone’s name, PM Imran Khan said a terrorist wanted to Pakistan is hiding in the United Kingdom for the last 30 years. Will UK allow Pakistan to carry a drone attack to take him out, he asked.

Defending the recent criticism on the EU, the prime minister said he knows the West better than anyone and added that criticism was right and need of the time. He also thanked China for handing over J-10C Fighter Jets to Pakistan in the record time of seven months to strengthen the country’s defence.

The premier said that the PTI government is working hard to transform Pakistan into a welfare state and numerous steps have been taken in this regard including interest-free loans, scholarships to students, health cards and others.

The prime minister arrived at the venue and was sitting on the stage as other leaders of the party addressed the gathering.

Foreign Minister (FM) Shah Mahmood Qureshi said that opposition has submitted a no-confidence motion against Imran Khan, and he wants to ask three questions of the crowd: Do you support Imran Khan, does MNAs elected on PTI’s electoral symbol of cricket bat have a more responsibility to vote in favour of Imran Khan, and will you attend the D-Chowk rally in Islamabad?

The crowd responded in “Yes” to each of the questions.

Earlier, the prime minister unveiled the inauguration plaques of several development projects in Hafizabad. The prime minister is addressing rallies before a vote on the no-confidence motion in the National Assembly.