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ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan, in a direct reply to the premier's remarks earlier in the day, said protesting in a peaceful manner is a part of democracy and not terrorism.
"The prime minister was asked a simple question regarding the acquisition of apartments worth billions in London," said Imran.
Instead of giving us an answer, he is touring the country and blaming our earlier sit-in for delays faced by development schemes, added Imran.
The PTI chief also asked the prime minister to follow the example of other democratic leaders, and there actions following the Panama Papers revelations.
"Does this mean that as a prime minister you can commit any crime, but if we question your conduct then democracy is threatened," questioned Imran.
Imran reminded the premier that it is the opposition's responsibility in a democracy to be answerable to the people and the opposition.
The PTI chief elaborated that the government needs to be answerable, and not blackmail others who also have offshore companies.
Imran also gave his opinion regarding the premier's next move and said, "Nawaz will do what he has done for the last 30 years, he will try to buy the opposition and anyone else who is deemed as a threat."
He added that the movement started by the opposition will not end, no matter how hard Nawaz tries.
"The premier has also divided the country, on one side are the corrupt and on the other side are the people of Pakistan who want accountability for their money."
PM's jab at PTI
Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, in a harshly-worded statement said, “People should think twice about which side they want to be on."
The prime minister went on to compare political agitation with terrorism, as he was the opinion that both hamper development and disrupt peace.
The prime minister's jabs at the PTI come as both parties continue to trade barbs over Panamagate. A war of words between opposition leaders and the government has escalated over the past few weeks, with opposition parties holding anti-corruption rallies and calling for the PM's resignation over allegations of corruption after the Panama Papers revealed the Sharif family's offshore holdings.
The PM has been touring the country to announce development and infrastructure projects, not all part of the CPEC. Last week he visited Bannu, where he announced an international airport and a special economic zone.
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On DawnNews
Comments (62) Closed
May 06, 2016 07:30pm
Did any body ask before these politician, it was like your turn and my turn,
they are accountable what they do, why do they do?
Its not okey any more.
Might is not right any more,
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May 06, 2016 07:40pm
IK needs to first clear the names of the PTI Panama account holders. He needs to explain how loans can be written of to Tareen while he has loads of Money invested in Panama. That too is clear theft. Before you always point fingers at others and blame others for every thing under this sky. Get your House in order first or you clearly are loosing respect.
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May 06, 2016 07:44pm
Exactly Imran khan is saying what is right!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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May 06, 2016 07:44pm
The PM runs the country with his type of democracy i.e. loot and let others to Loot.
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May 06, 2016 07:47pm
@Noshin : See his heavily subsided tone!
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May 06, 2016 07:49pm
@rehan Tareen's name is not in Panama Papers. Even if it is he has declared properties and can show the money trail. What about PM?
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May 06, 2016 07:57pm
PM is trying to build a false case against any kind of discussion against him and his family! COME CLEAN PM! STOP HIDING THE TRUTH!
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May 06, 2016 07:57pm
Somewhere between PML-N and PTI, the country has lost mental peace.
Every time they hold the mic, they start leg pulling each other.
Stupid us, who pay attention to these leaders
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May 06, 2016 07:57pm
@rehan My friend IK is saying the same thing. A judicial committee should formed and call every one, even call him. But first NS. Why? because you are Head of State and the there is allegation against and you must have to clarify either come to the parliament or face Judicial committee. I am not blind supporter of IK. But every Pakistani should know that how a PM can convince to overseas Pakistani to invest in Pakistan when his PM and his son/daughter are doing business in other countries. If your country is so lucrative for business why you are not doing business here.
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May 06, 2016 07:58pm
IK, don't waste your energy on responding to every silly accusation or remark from NS.
Focus on your mission to get NS investigated instead. The more the other side taks, the guiltier they look.
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May 06, 2016 08:05pm
Anyone trying to defend Nawaz after the Panama revelations is either benefitting from corruption or too naive to deserve a vote.
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May 06, 2016 08:06pm
Why protest on roads when parliament is functioning.
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May 06, 2016 08:08pm
Blocking roads is not peaceful protest.
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May 06, 2016 08:10pm
@rehan Nobody from PTI got named in the Panama Papers. I repeat nobody
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May 06, 2016 08:13pm
New Islamabad Airport, Neelum Jhelum and Nandipur have been delayed for years. Is Imran Khan to blame for these delays and the mass corruption in these projects?
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May 06, 2016 08:15pm
@Sumair : Have you seen all of the 11.5 million Panama files? Wait for the second installment expected to come out on 9th. of May!
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May 06, 2016 08:17pm
@rehan
.the people in power who have unknown amounts of wealth....oh no no...don't question them...first prove yourself...It is not IK's responsibility to clear the people in the Panama papers...it is the Government's responsibility to investigate but they don't want to do it because everyone named knows of the skeletons in others' closets...Everyone wants everyone else to sort out their house first but no one questions those who are living in palaces...
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May 06, 2016 08:17pm
@rehan if it is so, it is the prime responsibility of a govt to bring in culprits to justice. IK is not in govt. however Nawaz sharif needs to present his tax return of billions of rupees siphoned off of this country.
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May 06, 2016 08:18pm
@Umer Salahuddin
What country are you living in?
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May 06, 2016 08:17pm
@rehan JKT has been one of the highest tax paying politicians in the parliament for years. Between him and his companies the taxes paid to the government of Pakistan run into Billions. If he has committed any crimes, the government should open up cases against him. Why don't they do it!
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May 06, 2016 08:19pm
Looks like Nawaz Sharif hasnt learnt how Democracy works. Answer what the protesters are demanding and not what your saying. On the topic. Most Pakistani leaders take it personal. Remember Pakistan is not your personal property. Uneducated Pakistanis fall in these leaders trap. Education is missing in Pakistan. Teachers cant speak propper English. Corruption is widespread in almost every corner. I respect the Pakistan Army which has saved Pakistan. Im British born Pakistani and I feel ashamed of the way Pakistan is going!
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May 06, 2016 08:21pm
@Amir : He cannot come clean since we all know how guilty he is and his family. It is time to end this corruption from our country and show the world how important we should be for the rest of the world and it's economy. We have so much to offer from technology to common goods to sea ports to natural resources. So why are being treated like baggers. It is because of corruption
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May 06, 2016 08:23pm
@AuK
In a word 'Yes'...even the weather is IK's fault...it's surprising how the 'blame throwing' label rests with IK when all our Governments have ever done is to blame the predecessors or something else...'there was a cat', 'a flying monkey', 'the tea was too hot'...NS even had the nerve to claim he hadn't been warned about the floods a couple of years ago when the warning were on the news a week before...and people still believe what this man says...Our problem is we have a viewpoint and are not willing to change it for fear of having admit we may have been wrong.
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May 06, 2016 08:28pm
Pakistan is full of corrupt people in all aspects of life,
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May 06, 2016 08:36pm
That is why you have assembly debate your issue there so other can answer you. Street is for the people who want to run there business.
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May 06, 2016 08:34pm
The commission is to probe all 230 Pakistanis whose names are in the Panama papers, starting with the PM.
This is not an unfair demand.
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May 06, 2016 08:36pm
IK go ahead. We need to change status quo. This is a termite which has hollowed the foundations of the country.
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May 06, 2016 08:43pm
We know who are corrupt to the core and who are not. We know past track record. It's over for the corrupt era,a last throw attempt, before the final demise.
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May 06, 2016 08:44pm
Mr. Khan, you have been in streets since the last election. It may be your 'democratic' right to protest , but it is also our right to peaceful life and development as voters and citizens.
Your last sin-in cast Pakistan in poor light, delayed launch of development projects and interfered with very important state visits of the snior leadership of friendly countries.
What you were saying and doing in the sit-in was nothing short of terror. Please ask any diplomat in Islamabad and he will tell you what it was like to see you shouting insults and invading state buildings . It was neither democratic nor civil behaviour.
You may be a brave person, but you certainly are not a WISE man. Please pause and think what you are doing.
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May 06, 2016 08:44pm
@Anarchist the PMs name isn't on the papers it's his kids. People still can't comprehend that much. So imaginary money trails aside the point of this pointless protest? Imran Khan can answer a jab so easily why not the big questions??
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May 06, 2016 08:49pm
Mr. Khan:
Peaceful demonstration is part of democracy, correct but you have been demonstrating for the resignation of a duly elected PM in the same democracy. Do you know what your point is? Are you so desperate to grab the power by any means? What about your source of income? What about fraud in your SKH charity? Just because there are no charges, does that mean that you are an honest person? Are you joking? The way I have known Pakistan since 1947, you are finished. You have become totally irrelevant like Altaf.
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May 06, 2016 08:48pm
Everything, Everyone , every institution , every development , all the peace and positiveness that's happening is Wrong unless Imran Khan becomes the PM.
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May 06, 2016 08:48pm
Sharifs and their "Darbarees" have muddled the Panama issue to such an extent that now the opposition seems to be the enemy of Pakistan.
MPL(N)'s responses to the corruption charges urge me to hit my head against the wall. It amazes me how easily my nation gets fooled by them.
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May 06, 2016 08:52pm
Mr. Imran Khan no one can forget that when chinese security team arrived islamabad to inspect the security measure before their president visit for the CPEC projects, the same day the PTI and Tahirul Qadri men occupied the PTV building and attacked the prime minister house. After that chinese president visit was postponed
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May 06, 2016 08:56pm
For all those asking this to be taken to the assemblies, you should know that assembly is not the place to investigate crimes - no matter who commits them. For those we have courts!
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May 06, 2016 09:02pm
AND now Dubai leaks are coming ... big names ... should answer how they acquire valuable properties in Dubai.
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May 06, 2016 09:05pm
Imran Khan demands are just and appropriate. PM does not want to answer the simple questions because he has something to hide. He knows if and when Truth comes out his empire will crumble and he will be part of history.
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May 06, 2016 09:05pm
@Gaz I 100% agree with you. Do not favor to anyone because you represent that party or you represent that province. No No. Otherwise nothing is going to be changed in Pakistan.
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May 06, 2016 09:07pm
@Truth speaking English is not a sign of education. Otherwise I am fine with your comment.
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May 06, 2016 09:44pm
I wonder what happened to dhandli issue now, was it a real issue or was it a just madeup one? Not that the opposition has panama leaks in hand they dont care about dhandli anymore.. in the end they just want to create chaos in the country one way or the other..
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May 06, 2016 09:55pm
Agreed Khan Sb. protesting in democracy is a right of the people and opposition but protesting 24x7 on streets and doing dharnas is also not right.Why not use parliament, press, tv, & social media for it.For-god-sake let the government work and lower the political temperature.Whatever you are doing on the streets first needs to be done in the parliament.Just realise the country is passing through its worst financial, socio-economic and security crisis.Government needs your support.
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May 06, 2016 09:56pm
@Noshin .please, be a good Pakistani. think of Pakistan first than party.
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May 06, 2016 10:09pm
@Iqbal Khan How can IK change status quo when status quo people are sitting on his left and right.
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May 06, 2016 10:13pm
I wonder How are level of NAwaz Sharif to understand basic stuff. It seems he lives in entirely rich people world!
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May 06, 2016 10:24pm
This time I agree 100% with IK. Even a Pakistani PM should know the basic rules of democracy and should be able to distinguish protest actions from terorism!
As far as PM´s remark "...People should think twice about which side they want to be on.." is concerned, Mr. PM Pakistanis are on Pakistan´s side. Please ask yourself on which side you are (and want to be)?
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May 06, 2016 10:31pm
All public figures directly or indirectly named in the Panama leaks or other Leaks should be treated equally. As a minimum the following families should be investigated even handedly and under same TOR:
-Nawaz Sharif family
-Zardari family
-Jehangir Tareen family
-Musharraf family
-Chaudhrys
If government takes action against any opposition figure it would be labelled as political victimisation so it is better for an independent body to take care of all corrupts .
Re NS being holder of the most sensitive position - Zardari and Mushraf were holding the same not long ago so they should be treated equally.
Similar to NS family JT has also admitted ownership of offshore companies and properties. Mushraf never denied about his overseas accounts and properties.
I am suggesting a middle ground - not every body - just five families to start with. Otherwise NS would get another wave of sympathy by calling it selective accountability, the way it happened in 1993 and during Musfraf eras
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May 06, 2016 10:42pm
PM should save democracy and step down. He has failed to give a reasonable justification. Perhaps he doesn't have it. It is said that when truth comes falsehood perish. Truth has come they should accept it. It can't be defended anymore.
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May 06, 2016 10:51pm
Imran take the PM's comments as a complement. He has elevated you to the level of Nelson Mandela, Yasssir Arafat and Begin. All three were regarded as terrorists and won nobel peace prize. The PM is caught between a rock and a hard surface. He is avoiding real issues. His message is either my way(motorway) or no way (not yours!)
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May 06, 2016 11:13pm
Looks like NS is actually running, but it appears that he cannot hide.
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May 07, 2016 12:00am
Sir Imran Khan, please challenge our PM for a live debate. As they say in Urdu 'doodh ka doodh, aur paani ka paani hojai ga'.
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May 07, 2016 12:04am
Disturbing all activities is not a peaceful protest. The containeering and now gatherings have become a curse for the citizens and traders of Islamabad.
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May 07, 2016 01:33am
" ... the right of the people peacefully to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances. " (shall not be infringed) First Amendment to the US Constitution.
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May 07, 2016 01:36am
IK your diehard supporter but disappointed as you have cased damage to pk economy and created hurdles in progress with your stubbornness. You lost me big time use common "sense approach" I guess common sense is not that common"
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May 07, 2016 02:05am
PM has failed to convince educated Pakistanis that he has done nothing wrong and his name in the Panama Leaks was an error. Just appearance of his name or his family names is a disgrace . He should think twice before making any statements about others.
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May 07, 2016 02:56am
What about the claim by people who pretend to know what they are talking about that business as we know it cannot survive in Pakistan without off-shore accounts?
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May 07, 2016 04:27am
@Noshin just because Imran Khan is saying it???
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May 07, 2016 05:25am
The politicians, one to all, have lost their marbles, "sub bokhlaya huae hain"!
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May 07, 2016 06:23am
If one doesn't believe in basic democratic practice , like peace demo, then that person forfiet his or her right to hold office. PM is the first one to be investigated..
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May 07, 2016 08:50am
Nawaz has a heart of a dictator
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May 07, 2016 12:42pm
It is absurd to equate peaceful protest with terrorism. NS thinks those who supports him are patriotic Pakistan and those who oppose are terrorist .
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May 07, 2016 11:19pm
@akib
You certainly are naive...
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May 08, 2016 01:54pm
@saeeds
Except not only is such a debate not televised...it has no bearing on the government. The PM doesn’t even bother to attend most of the time.
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