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