GUJRAT: “If someone from Nawaz-League wants to hit me with a shoe, I am ready, throw your shoe at me. I am (a) good catcher and can make a good throw back, so raise your shoe towards me I will catch and then throw it back to you.”

Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan threw the challenge on Wednesday while speaking at a gathering at Pind Daden Khan at a PTI membership camp set up by the party’s youth wing.

He also spoke to his party workers at Lilla and Khewra where similar camps were set up. The areas fall in the Jhelum district from where PTI spokesperson Fawad Chaudhry was likely to contest 2018 election.

At PDK, Mr Khan invited the youth to join his party to change the fate of Pakistan by helping it win the 2018 elections for which they should launch their preparations from now.

“A new history will be written in Pakistan in the coming polls by blocking those who were taking turns to form governments, as the vote should be utilised for a prosper future of children and youth through defeating the old political crocodiles,” he said.

Addressing gatherings at Lilla and Khewra, he said the PML-N leaders were being targeted with shoes for attempting to change the oath of finality of the Holy Prophet (PBUH), but the Nawaz League was accusing the PTI of orchestrating these attacks.

He again lashed out at Asif Ali Zardari and Nawaz holding them responsible for all the ills country had been facing. He said nine years ago every Pakistani was under Rs35,000 debt but after the rule of Mr Zardari and Nawaz the debt rose to Rs130,000 per Pakistani, because of their loot and plunder.

Saying that he did not have any personal enmity with Nawaz and Zardari, he added that his struggle was actually against those thieves who had looted the national exchequer, pledging to bring back the “looted money” after winning the 2018 elections.

He asked the youth to not get impressed by “dramas” of Shahbaz Sharif who, he said recited the verses of Habib Jalib in the public gatherings to prove himself a revolutionary leader, while on the other hand looted the people.

The PTI chief said he had been striving to build a new Pakistan that could ensure quality education, free medical facilities at the public hospitals, clean drinking water and employment.

“I want to introduce such an education system that even the students of seminaries can become doctors, engineers, ministers and (even) prime minister in Pakistan since the students of seminaries have been the most neglected lot in society who should be given proper attention” he said.

He said regretted that the 70per cent of the country’s population living in the rural areas had no access to clean drinking water, while farmers who were among the worst-hit lacked irrigation water.

Published in Dawn, March 15th, 2018