Imran taunts Nawaz for his intention to target judiciary

Published December 18, 2017
OKARA: Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf chairman Imran Khan addresses the public meeting.—Online
OKARA: Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf chairman Imran Khan addresses the public meeting.—Online

OKARA: Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan has taunted former prime minister Nawaz Sharif for his intention to run a campaign against the judiciary.

“Cowards cannot launch campaigns. Nevertheless, if you do come out (against judiciary) the PTI will come out against you,” he told a party meeting at the municipal stadium here on Sunday evening.

The open-air gathering was organised by PTI’s district and tehsil level organisations, as well as some two dozen candidates/aspirants for party tickets in the next general elections.

The PTI chief said Nawaz Sharif always wanted a tamed judiciary. “He wants people like Justice Qayyum at the helm who were dictated by the Sharifs.”

He said the next elections would be interesting with Shahbaz Sharif likely to lead the PML-N campaign. At the same time, he said, his party would approach the National Accountability Bureau against the Punjab chief minister with some new evidence.

Mr Khan said that Nawaz Sharif was campaigning only to save his 300 billion rupees he had laundered after corruption. He said the Sharifs had become owners of more than 40 mills during their stay in power.

The PTI chairman said strong institutions could provide strong base for the development and progress of the country. He said that after coming to power the PTI government would develop an efficient accountability system.

He said Europe had progressed because of strong institutions and investment in education and health.

He said Okara district was the hub of agriculture but growers were suffering a lot due to wrong policies of the Sharifs.

About Shaikh Rashid’s suggestion (to Imran Khan) to remarry Jemima Khan whose evidence had helped the PTI chief escape disqualification, Mr Khan asked him not to recall old matters.

He praised Jahangir Tareen who resigned immediately after his disqualification.

Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Jahangir Tareen, Sheikh Rashid, Rai Hassan Nawaz Khan, Samsam Ali Bukhari, Masood Shafqat Rubera, Anwar Pasha, Tariq Irshad and Ashraf Khan Sohna also addressed the gathering.

Published in Dawn, December 18th, 2017

Opinion

Editorial

Sustainable path?
13 Jun, 2026

Sustainable path?

THE FY27 budget is the first clear signal that the government is ready to transition from stabilisation to growth ...
Prioritising education
13 Jun, 2026

Prioritising education

THOUGH the improvement in the country’s literacy rate may be slight, as highlighted by the Economic Survey, it ...
Poverty’s rise
13 Jun, 2026

Poverty’s rise

AS attention turns to the government’s plans for the coming fiscal year, one set of figures deserves particular...
A difficult story
Updated 12 Jun, 2026

A difficult story

Unless productivity becomes the dominant target of economic policy, Pakistan will continue to oscillate between crises and fragile recovery.
Rough waters
12 Jun, 2026

Rough waters

AMONGST the key potential triggers for fresh conflict in South Asia is water. The Indian state is behaving in an...
Politicised football
12 Jun, 2026

Politicised football

ALMOST three-and-half years since Lionel Messi led Argentina to FIFA World Cup glory, the latest edition of...