ISLAMABAD, Feb 7: Chairman of Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaaf Imran Khan challenged on Tuesday what he termed the ‘troika’ of Pakistan People’s Party, Pakistan Muslim League-N and Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam to contest the next elections as allies. Speaking at a news conference at the PTI secretariat here, he said that even if the three joined hands, his party would defeat them.
He said since JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman had been supporting President Asif Ali Zardari in the name of saving Islam and PML-N president Nawaz Sharif had been playing the role of a friendly opposition in the name of protecting democracy, they should join hands with the PPP to contest general elections against the PTI from one platform.
He accused Maulana Fazlur Rehman of causing great damage to the country by supporting a corrupt dispensation for a long time and said the Maulana was claiming that the PTI would bring in the legacy of the Jews in Pakistan.
He criticised the PML-N for coming close to a compromise on the 20th Amendment to get the electoral laws of its choice passed by the parliament so that it could return to power.
Mr Khan challenged all parties to make an alliance to contest elections against his party and claimed the PTI would defeat them.
The PTI chief lashed out at Nawaz Sharif for making a retreat on the memo case under external and internal pressure after filing a petition in the Supreme Court.
“Those who had their laundered money abroad cannot stand against pressure,” he said.
Mr Khan reiterated his promise of bringing a revolution by improving revenue collection, ending dependence on foreign loans and eliminating corruption from the country.
He said Rs.8.5 trillion had been looted through corruption during the past four years.
He said the present government, which came into being under the umbrella of National Reconciliation Ordinance, had caused a loss of $50 billion to the nation in the war on terror against a foreign aid of $20 billion. It had increased monthly spending inthe war on terror to Rs96 billion from Rs20 billion during the Musharraf regime, he added.
The PTI chairman said the economy lost Rs19,500 billion during the past four years and the country was forced to reduce the development budget enormously to fund the war imposed by the US, while the education budget came down to less then one per cent of the GDP.
He said the national growth rate declined to 2.6 per cent – lowest in the history of Pakistan, trade deficit stood at $47 billion,budget deficit at Rs2008 billion, the rupee fell to Rs90.5 against the US dollar from Rs68.16 in 2008.
He said electricity tariff had gone up by 132 per cent, gas by 101 per cent and petrol price by 51 per cent during the tenure of the present government.Mr Khan said the government was trying to negotiate another loan from the International Monetary Fund to repay IMF’s earlier loan.
PTI vice president Dr Shireen Mazari and party’s spokesman Zahid Kazmi were also present at the press conference.