Opposition leaders maligning institutions to save their loot: PM Imran

Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday said ensuring rule of law and making Pakistan a socio-welfare state was his foremost priority to achieve the goals of prosperity and development.

“The country will prosper only when all of its citizens treated equally before law and given across-the-board basic facilities of life,” the prime minister said in his address to public gathering in Swat, where he distributed Sehat Insaf Card among the poor.

Under the programme, every household in the province will get free medical treatment up to Rs0.1 million.

The Prime Minister said the provision of facilities to public was, however, linked with strength of national exchequer previously plundered by the governments. He regretted that all such ‘dacoits of the country’ had gathered at a platform to put pressure on him to forget about their crimes.

“They know that Imran Khan is never going to give them an NRO (National Reconciliation Ordinance), so they have started a dirty game of ridiculing the state institutions just to save their looted money,” he said.

The prime minister said opposition's narrative is only benefitting extremist Modi government in India.

He said the daughter of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif was using bad language about armed forces and intelligence agencies. “As a social norm, we give respect to women, however she is taking advantage of this,” he said, adding that in any other country, such remarks could have landed her into prison.

The prime minister said it was a decisive moment for the country to take to task its leaders who plundered billions of nation’s money, but insisted to be treated above law. He recalled that misappropriation of national kitty during previous tenures resulted in multiplying foreign debt from Rs6,000 billion to Rs30,000 billion, putting burden on the nation.

Imran said the health card scheme was important in facilitating the common man to have easy access to public and private hospitals for free treatment. He said the government was also working on providing affordable housing for people.

He said legal limitations that resulted in delay in implementing the low-cost housing scheme had now resolved and expressed confidence that the project would materialize soon. He mentioned the Civil Procedure Act passed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa bound the cases to be resolved within a period of one year.

He said a prime minister was like a father figure who could guide his nation towards the path of righteousness. He said following the path of teachings of Prophet Muhammad (Peace be Upon Him), who was the greatest of person and a leader, could bring goodness in the life and hereafter.

He said the model of State of Madinah was a guiding principle where rule of law was supreme and all people enjoyed equal rights regardless of social status. He said Swat would undergo massive development due to the opening of motorway and the prospects of tourism destination.

He lauded the KP chief minister for making Gabeen Jabba in Swat a new tourism destination and added that tourism would prove an important sector to attract foreign investment at a fast pace.

Chief Minister Khyber Pukhtunkhwa Mehmood Khan said the Sehat Insaf programme will cover the areas in four phases, i.e. Malakand in October, Hazara in December, Peshawar in January and then south region by the end of January.

He said the project was another milestone in Prime Minister Imran Khan’s vision of emulating the social-welfare state of Madinah.

Opp united to protect personal interests: Murad
Addressing the rally, Federal Minister for Communication Murad Saeed said that opposition, after looting the national economy, was united again just to protect their personal interests.

The minister said a new era of progress and prosperity has been started in the country and elements that looted national resources for their personal gains were came out again with catchy slogans, saying people were well aware of the opposition tactics’ by keeping distance from the politics of negativity.

He said public knew that who had plundered the national resources and taxpayers money and purchased luxury apartments in London.

Murad Saeed said ill-designs of opposition parties during FATF legislation were stand exposed before masses. He said PTI Government has adopted zero tolerance against corruption and no NRO would be given to corrupt elements.

Murad Saeed said that opposition has no concerns with masses problems and wanted to destabilize the country and weaken democracy through making direct attacks on state institutions, which was unacceptable in a democratic society.

He said Malakand Division was a strong fort of PTI and would again emerge victorious in the upcoming elections and would form government after 2023 general elections in all provinces of Pakistan.

The minister said people of KP have unshakable trust in the leadership of Prime Minister Imran Khan as he is the only leader who can take the country out of existing challenges and address people’s problems.

The minister said Swat expressway was the gift of PTI Government for people of KP especially for Malakand Division that has brought positive changes in their lives besides promote economy and tourism.