ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Monday said that it would end its sit-in the moment Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif declares his actual assets.
“I will end our sit-in if you [Prime Minister] declare actual assets,” Imran Khan said while addressing the sit-in at D-Chowk of the Constitution Avenue on its 68th day. Last year, the Election Commission of Pakistan released details of assets declared by the parliamentarians, with those of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif totalling Rs1.824 billion on paper, making him the richest lawmaker.
Similarly, the PTI chairman asked Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari once again to question his father about his assets and declare his own. “The country is at the mercy of 400 families,” he added, in reference to dominant family politics.
Khan criticized the government for recent increase in electricity tariff by 0.43 rupees per unit. “The government should have reduced prices of petroleum products by Rs15 per litre in line with the decrease in prices in the international market… but they are collecting extortion from the people,” he said, demanding the government to lower it further.
He said his party would hold protest rallies against the increase in electricity tariff. Khan lamented that no one raises issues being faced by the masses in parliament.
Addressing former president Asif Ali Zardari, he said “I can assure you that the PTI can hold rallies for the next three years from the money you spent in Karachi. You have to pay people so that they attend your rallies but our workers attend rallies on their own.” He added that PPP workers could not match the enthusiasm of PTI activists.
The PTI chairman also censured the Sindh government, saying the police was deployed on the PPP rally due to which robbers targeted Abdul Sattar Edhi. He said democracy was the name of meritocracy and that was the reason the west had surpassed us and we are lagging behind. “The Nawaz government has not made a single appointment on merit,” Khan claimed. Even the appointment of an SHO was finalised by the Sharif family, he added.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 21st, 2014.
COMMENTS (31)
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@Naveed: But Imran does not tell us of his assets in Goldsmith Bank in London. Denies the London Plan. His children dont go to mosque.
IMRAN KHAN. Sir please continue your dharna. This nation has no opportunities for entertainment. We badly need your evening entertainment show.
he would rather prefer resigning.... :D
poor reporting..i think that's for cheap publicity..if nawaz discloses his assets it's the end of his politics then...
Sham... even this demand will not met by PMLN. So no IK is not leaving.
IK is just befooling naive and innocent people. NS has already declared his assets and the details are available on the ecp website for everyone. If IK has any concrete proof that there is something wrong with the asset declaration, he should challenge it in the proper forum and that will make NS ineligible also. So it is a win win situation for IK. If he has no proof then please for the sake ALLAH, stop ruining the fragile economy of Pakistan. Enough is enough..
Qadri leaving might be very good. It prooved once again what i believe. Imran Khan is the true leader and the rest are fake.
@Raghu: Has Chaudhry Shujat and Shaikht Rasheed and other allies all declared assets? @Aiman Kay: Imran Khan has made himself into a joker by his U turns and deadlines which all mean nothing. He wasted billions of rupees while IDPs and flood victims suffered. Who cares about his conditions to end his protests. Let him keep protesting every day until next elections in 2018. This will teach anti democratic forces that there is nothing that will destroy the democratic process in Pakistan.
@Arqum: IK is trying to awaken people, create awareness about the burning issue.
If this is eventually what IK had to do, why didnt he do it before ? This 2 months drama has cost us billions.
@abdul shakoor kanju: I think you must wake up from your deep sleep and come back to the real world. IK has long before declared his assets and many of his Party people have also declared their assets.
ET that is a disappointing heading really. NS would be idiot to declare his actual assets and this essentially means IK wont be leaving without NS's resignation.
And Im surprised at the low IQs of some of the readers who are talking about U turns. lol grow up people.
keep changing the goal post. use whatever sticks and leave that does not. absolutely clueless U-turn Khan
i think mr.imran has not declared his assets yet. Insafian must ask.
@Shahid Have you seen the details? Do you actually expect a common man to believe that the richest law maker in Pakistan aka NS has cash balance of only Rs.5,000? And how can you take someone to court when that someone already has judges in his pockets? Doesnt that explain why no FIR has been registered against the Sharifs for the Model Town killings? Please think logically before commenting.
Mr. #GONawazGO...... resigning will be a better option than 2 declare your ACTUAL assets.
I hope the government gives face-saving opportunity to Imran Khan
It maybe not possible at this point of time for the people of Pakistan to know the exact asset of the Nawaz Sharif but one day when he leave with world and his children would be fighting on the distribution of assets then the nation will know the exact assets.
For #GoNawazGo Declaring assets is equivalent to digging his own #Grave!
The details of Nawaz Sharif assets are with ECP.If there are any more Imran Khan should work on them as bring in public and take Nawaz Sharif to court. He will never do it because he knows the facts. He has become master of ball tempering. For the last six months I have never seen him speaking truth each and every story is fabricated. God Bless Pakistan
Let him stay and embarrass himself. The government should not negotiate with him or give him a way out. Let his "advisor" Mr.Sheikh Rasheed hatch another escape plan.
This is the best U turn ever taken by IK. He must stand by it now.
@Imam:
Dear Brother
I must say that you are depressed by the situation. Imran Khan or any Muslim who beleives in Allah never loose. You will see that Imran Khan will win. InshaAllah
@MUNIB: Dear Brother,
Muslim is defined as a person who submits his will to Allah. I cant understand how you comments this. Isn't it our right to ask our leadors to justify their assets being a Muslim.
Please don't ever comment like this
@Imam: U never voted for him in 2013 anyways so why lie brother?! Go N Go
Oh no sir, please continue. We so want to see you as our PM.
AsexpectedIt is reshaped demand of same goal ........ just imagine the consequences
IK can now surely win G.B of WORLD RECORD for highest number of U-Turns
Everybody knows that NS will never declare his true assets so I dont know why is this statement by IK being potrayed as an exit strategy. For once ET try reporting neutrally.
And I thought he wasn't gonna leave D Chowk till Nawaz Sharif resigns? Go home Imran Khan you've lost the plot. Never voting you again, ever!