CHARSADDA: PTI Chairman Imran Khan has hinted at reducing taxes after coming to power by sweeping the upcoming general elections and said his party would steer the country out of current crises.

“We will collect Rs8 trillion within one to two months of forming the federal government by reducing taxes in the country,” he told a public meeting here on Thursday.

The event was organised in connection with the PTI’s countrywide election campaign.

Says his opponents promoting family members as party heads

The PTI chairman said the country couldn’t make progress without improving governance, observing merit an elimination of corruption.

He said July 25 (election day) would turn out to be very significant for the country’s future and therefore, the people should step out on that day to elect the PTI to power.

Mr Imran said former prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto had the opportunity in 1970s to put the country on the path of progress but he missed it.

“Bhutto shouted the slogan of roti, kapra and makan (food, clothing and shelter) but failed to ensure provision of these basic things of life to the people,” he said.

The PTI chief criticised political rivals for serving own ends and few families had monopolised the system in the name of democracy and promoted their members in politics.

“(PPP leader Asif) Zardari has launched son Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, (PML-N leader) Nawaz Sharif daughter Maryam and Fazal Rehman son to rule the people. (ANP chief) Asfandyar Wali Khan and (QWP leader) Aftab Sherpao are also doing the same giving the people a false impression that others are ineligible to lead these parties,” he said wondering if that was called democracy.

Mr Imran said Bilawal and Maryam didn’t understand the people’s problems.

He said Nawaz Sharif didn’t become the prime minister ‘on merit’ as he was (Nawaz) groomed in politics during the military regime.

The PTI chief paid tribute to Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan for being a great proponent of non-violence.

He said Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah turned out to be a great political leader though his father was not a politician.

Mr Imran said the democratic system won’t flourish in the country until merit was followed in all spheres of life.

He said Pakistan had immense talent but ironically, it couldn’t benefit from it due to the rampant flouting of merit.

The PTI chief said the successive governments’ failure to ensure rule of merit had failed the system over the years.

He also criticised the previous governments for failing to ensure supply of clean cleaning drinking water to the people.

“After 1970, the nation has another chance to change its destiny in the shape of the July 25 elections,” he said.

He alleged that corrupt leaders had bankrupted the country and transferred national wealth abroad.

Mr Imran said Pakistan rupee had crashed to a record low against the US dollar due to the bad economic policies of the last PML-N government, while the country’s debt had surged from Rs6 trillion to Rs27 trillion during the last 10 years.

He said Pakistanis had purchased Rs900 billion properties in Dubai alone.

The PTI chief said the recent rainfall in Lahore had exposed the so-called good governance and development by PML-N leader and former Punjab chief minister Shahbaz Sharif.

“The nature has exposed the corruption of Shahbaz Sharif in few hours,” he said.

Published in Dawn, July 6th, 2018