PESHAWAR: Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf chairman Imran Khan on Friday claimed that his party would sweep the next elections to form governments in the centre and provinces.

He also claimed that the party’s popularity was growing fast across the country attracting people from other parties, including electables.

The PTI chief was addressing events at a local hotel and Nishtar Hall here.

PTI chief declares Bacha Khan, Mufti Mehmood leaders

He said after forming government in the centre, his party would approve a comprehensive package to provide the people with quality education and create jobs for them, especially youths, through public-private partnership and thus, alleviating poverty and disappointment among the people.

Mr Imran said only those, who believed in and made a strenuous struggle, could become the real leaders of a nation.

He said the people became leaders after making a hectic struggle and Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah, Nelson Mandela, Bacha Khan and Maulana Mufti Mehmood were among them.

“Mr Jinnah had become a leader after a struggle of 40 years, while Nelson Mandela, who led his nation, languished in jail for 27 years,” he said.

Mr Imran appreciated the performance of the provincial government and said various provincial departments, especially health, police and education ones, had become role models for contemporaries in other provinces.

He said the bureaucracy had destroyed the government departments and was unwilling to do its duties.

The PTI chief said the people, who failed get any position on merit, always looked for shortcuts to success, but on the contrary, the intelligent people made a constant struggle for the purpose.

He said no one could become leader without facing hardships in life.

Criticising major political rivals, Mr Imran said PML-N leader Nawaz Sharif should be thankful to military ruler Ziaul Haq for teaching him the ‘lesson of politics’, while PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari hadn’t worked for the people’s welfare even for a single minute but posed himself to be a national leader.

He added that PPP leader Asif Ali Zardari owed his key political position to his wife (Benazir Bhutto).

“Zardari had become leader on the advice of his wife,” he said.

He claimed that PML-N president Shahbaz Sharif had become a leader by publishing his pictures in Punjab government’s advertisements and that he had done nothing practical for the people’s welfare despite being in power for decades.

The PTI chief said no society could progress without educating its people but the PML-N and PPP governments didn’t bother to pay heed towards it.

He said the construction of some roads and bridges couldn’t be called the development of a society.

“After coming to power in the centre, we will adopt concrete policies for the welfare of the poverty-stricken people and give quality education to their children to bring about a real change in their life and thus, leading to the creation of a bright Pakistan,” he said.

Mr Imran said when the PTI formed government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the province had computer labs in 160 schools only but the number had increased to 1,300.

“We will provide labs and other facilities to all educational institutions after forming the next government,” he said.

Published in Dawn, April 28th, 2018