SWABI/MARDAN: Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf-Parliamentarians chairman Pervez Khattak has alleged that former prime ministers Nawaz Sharif and his brother Shehbaz Sharif had looted the country with both hands, and called them hypocrites and not the leaders.

He made the remarks while addressing a public gathering in connection with his party’s election campaign in Chota Lahor tehsil of Swabi the other day.

Mr Khattak said barring the Ayub Khan era, country’s politicians took heavy loans from foreign lending agencies and amassed wealth at the cost of poor masses.

He said PTI founder and former prime minister Imran Khan used to say that if he took loan from someone, he would commit suicide, but when he assumed power, his government took record loans.

Says Imran committed gravest crime of instigating people against army

Mr Khattak alleged the former premier misled the people, made hollow slogans, never fulfilled his pledges and created a disturbing scenario in the country while committing the heinous crime of instigating people against the Pakistan Army.

Mr Khattak, who remained defence minister during the last PDM government and chief minister during the PTI government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, said: “It is now time to get rid of them corrupt leaders.”

He claimed he had introduced result-oriented reforms during his tenure as the CM, and promised to continue doing so if his party was voted to power.

Meanwhile, addressing a gathering of party workers in Mardan, Mr Khattak accused Imran Khan of deceiving masses on the slogan of Naya Pakistan.

He recalled that Imran Khan had promised voters during his election campaign in 2018 that he would commit suicide if his government took loan from IMF after coming into power.

Mr Khattak accused other political parties of serving their own interests rather those of their voters.

He also claimed to have upgraded and improved the performance of educational institutions and hospitals when he was the chief minister. “I made police department free of political interference, and rid the residents of KP of corrupt revenue officials,” he added.

Mr Khattak urged people to vote for those leaders who had the ability to serve them.

He claimed tariffs of electricity and gas in Pakistan were fixed by IMF. He alleged his opponents were seeking votes in the name of religion and Pakhtun nationalism.

He said governments in Pakistan and Afghanistan were silent on killing of Pakhtuns.

Published in Dawn, January 25th, 2024