Islamabad – Press Release:
The prime minister said the salaried class suffered owing to rupee devaluation, which also increased prices of imported items like oil, ghee and electricity.
About the protest of government employees for salary increase, he asked what choice the government was left with after having inherited huge debt and paying half of its revenue to pay the loans taken by the previous regimes.
He said enhanced spending on salaries would swell the deficit and ultimately enhance the inflation. Despite financial constraints, the government had given a reasonable pay raise within the fiscal capacity.
Calling the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) a “gang of looters”, Imran Khan said they backed every movement against the government for the sake of getting an NRO (National Reconciliation Ordinance).
He assured that his government was fully focused on reducing the inflation as a “great plan” was also in the pipeline to address the issue.
To a question, the prime minister said his team was in talks with the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan, which had already agreed to defer their long march to April 20. The government would present the TLP’s demands in the Parliament for consideration.
No government, except that of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf had taken firm stance on Namoos-e-Risalat, he added. “This is not out of any fear rather it is part of our belief.”
He reiterated that the blasphemy in Western states was committed under a conspiracy as the people there did not understand the reverence Muslims showed to Holy Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him).
However, the prime minister opined that the issue would remain unresolved unless all the Muslim world leaders raise the collective voice. He said except him, only Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had spoken on the issue while others were keeping mum.
He said the effective action would happen when 15-20 Muslim world leaders spoke on the issue, though the OIC 9Organization of Islamic Cooperation) and the United Nations had also talked on the matter.
The prime minister said the overseas Pakistanis suffered the most owing to Islamophobia.
Moreover, he also urged the role of Ulema to purge the society of social evils like sex crime including rape, gang rape and child abuses as those could not be eliminated merely through law enforcement.
He said the people would never take to streets to protect the opposition leaders’ corruption. He said he had brought the people out in large numbers because they knew the then rulers were looting their money.
As the questioner suggested the prime minister to hold talks at least with the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), which seemed to be estranged to other PDM parties, he said he had always been ready to talk but knew that every time they diverted the subject towards the NRO.
“They have one-point agenda… They want the pardon as Musharraf gave them… I know them all,” he added.
Imran Khan said he had joined politics against the corruption, which kept every state away from progress.
About the ongoing action against the illegal land grabbers, the prime minister said the opposition leaders, playing the card of political victimization, should justify whether the land under their occupation was state property or not.
More revelations were about to come, he said and assured for indiscriminate action even if any of his party leader was found to have occupied the state property.
