Next elections 'Pakistan's Battle of Badr:' Imran Khan

Says PTI is the good in this battle, hopes PTI to sweep elections

Delawar Jan

PESHAWAR: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on Thursday described the upcoming general elections as ‘Pakistan’s Battle of Badr’ that would be fought between his party and all other ‘traditional’ and ‘corrupt’ politicians.

He said PTI would win this battle with the strength of the youth even if all traditional politicians and their parties made an alliance. “The next elections are Pakistan’s Battle of Badr. On one side, there will be people who have wealth and power and on the other side there will be PTI which will only be equipped with an unbreakable passion to make a new Pakistan,” he said as an audience of young people roared in enthusiasm.

Imran Khan was addressing a gathering of Insaf Students Federation (ISF), which it had named as “tsunami convention,” at Shah Tehmash Football Stadium.

“PTI is a revolution. It is a tsunami that will sweep away the system based on injustice and corruption,” he told the students, most of whom were dressed in white shalwar-kamees and a black coat uniform. The students wore caps made of party flag and flaunted the green-red PTI flags. “I challenge if all the traditional politicians and their parties join forces in the next elections, PTI will defeat them with the force of the youth,” he added.

Imran Khan said the PTI would challenge the tested and corrupt politicians with its ideology. He added that the people would not allow the current rulers to come into power again. “Now it’s time to make a new Pakistan,” he said.

He termed Mian Nawaz Sharif and President Asif Ali Zardari as fake leaders. He said Nawaz Sharif was launched by General Ghulam Jilani and Zardari declared himself a leader in a doubtful will of Benazir Bhutto. “Several times, I challenged Nawaz Sharif for a debate on television but he is afraid to face me,” he said to the cheers of the audience. Both the leaders, he alleged, had looted a lot of money and shifted it to foreign accounts.

He said they were now imposing their children on the nation. “If you want to become a leader [in PML-N] you need to have Sharif as a suffix. In PPP, Bilawal was made Bhutto to introduce him as a leader,” he sneered. “Now, he is being taught Urdu language. My [young] son Sulaiman Khan whose mother is a British speaks better Urdu than him,” he taunted.   

He also criticised Asfandyar Wali Khan, Maulana Fazlur Rehman and Altaf Hussain for shifting wealth to foreign countries. “I have heard that Asfandyar Wali had shifted wealth to Malaysia and Dubai. PTI will ask him how he transferred his assets to these countries,” he said. Asfandyar Wali’s Awami National Party leads the government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and is a coalition partner with PPP in the federal government.

He alleged that Fazlur Rehman had also bank balance and property in foreign countries. He said some of the leaders even did not have Pakistani passport. “In my Pakistan, all such things will not happen,” he said.

He asked Altaf Hussain to stop ruling the country from abroad and come to Pakistan. “For God sake, come to Pakistan I have forgiven you,” the cricker-turned-politician asked MQM chief who has been summoned by the Supreme Court in a contempt of court case on January 7.   

“Go door-to-door and tell people not vote the politicians whose money and property is in foreign countries. You have to awaken the masses,” he asked the youth, who waved party flags after being energised by music.  

He said that Zardari and Nawaz Sharif were breaking members of his party. “I request them to please take such opportunists. It will cleanse the party of unscrupulous politicians. I need only those who agree with the PTI ideology,” he added.

The PTI chief said his party would bring real democracy in the country after democratising itself. He encouraged the youth to contest party positions in the intra-party elections. “This is the only party that gives you opportunity to become leader on merit. PTI will award 25 per cent of the tickets to people under the age of 35 years,” he promised.

After coming into power, he said the PTI would solve the problem of terrorism. Imran Khan said he would withdraw from the US war on terror, hold talks with tribal people and ask militants to lay down arms as the country was no more ally with the US and there remains no justification for jihad. “I bow only before God and don’t accept to be a US slave,” he declared.  

He said his government would also put a full stop to drone attacks and replace the political agent system with local bodies.

He said the PTI government would create two million jobs every year and claimed that his party had done home work on it. He said that Tehreek-e-Insaf would promote games at union council level. “I can’t say of other games, but no country will be able to win cricket from us during the PTI government,” he boasted.

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