LAHORE: Prime Minister Imran Khan has said he had entered politics with the objective to build the nation rather than just striving to know the prices of daily commodities.

Addressing a public meeting in Hafizabad on Sunday, Prime Minister Khan explained that a nation was formed on the basis of an ideology. He said his objective for entering politics was to make the nation, particularly the young generation, realise the real ideology of Pakistan as propounded by Allama Mohammad Iqbal.

“Unless a nation realises the ideology behind the creation of a homeland, it cannot become a nation and often recedes into oblivion,” Mr Khan warned.

The prime minister defended his strong reaction to the joint letter of the heads of various foreign missions, recounted achievements of his government during the past three and a half years and rebuked the opposition leaders in his speech.

Referring to Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz president Shehbaz Sharif, Pakistan Peoples Party chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (Fazl) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, Mr Khan said: “The three rodents have joined hands to topple the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf government, but you all will see them being preyed upon soon.”

Rebukes opposition leaders, justifies his statement against EU representatives

Western societies had very high moral standards against horse-trading and corruption, he said, while citing the example of a rich man whose family abandoned him when he was caught in a corruption case.

Asserting that he had joined the politics not to learn about the prices of potatoes and tomatoes, but to make Pakistanis a great nation, Prime Minister Khan said he established the Rehmat-ul-lil-Aalamin Authority to spread the teachings of Holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) among the youth. Also, he added, his government introduced single national curriculum to ensure that all young students, including those studying at religious seminaries, should study same curriculum and get level-playing field to compete and excel in life.

The government also instituted 2.6 million scholarships, he said, adding that two latest technologies varsities, including an aerospace university, were being established so that Pakistan itself manufacture planes in future. “No one thought on these lines during the past 70 years,” he asserted.

The prime minister also referred to the missile ‘mistakenly’ fired by India and stated that the Pakistan government responded in a very calculated manner. “Pakistan has all the abilities to protect its boundaries and heading in the right direction,” he said.

He also explained his government’s other initiatives including provision of health insurance cards to low-income families, setting up of shelter homes, Kamyab Pakistan programme, Ehsaas ration scheme, management of coronavirus pandemic, record tax collection, reduction in petrol and electricity unit’s prices and meeting the challenge of climate change. Three of the 10 dams being planned would be ready within the next three years, he said.

The prime minister said a nation could never rise until it respects itself and added that it was also a nation leader’s responsibility not to let its peoples down.

Balanced foreign policy

Chiding former premier Nawaz Sharif for sitting before the US President with a note in his hand, PM Khan said he responded the European Union ambassadors in the same coin when they wrote an open letter asking Pakistan to give statement against Russia. “When I criticised the EU ambassadors, all three opposition leaders started blaming me for harsh statements,” he said.

“I know West well. It welcomes those, who hold their countries’ interests supreme and look down on those, who look for their vested interests,” PM Khan said. He said former premiers Nawaz Sharif and Asif Zardari had never condemned the country [the US], which fired some 400 drones inside Pakistan, despite the fact that Islamabad was fighting for that country’s war in Afghanistan. “I myself protested, staged sit-ins and criticised the West for firing drones in Pakistan,” PM Khan recalled.

“Pakistan wants to keep cordial relations with every country but being the prime minister of 220 million people he cannot compromise on country’s interests,” he said.

When a head of state visited any country, his complete life details, including his character and honesty report, reached the host country through agencies and foreign office, Mr Khan said, recalling his visit to meet the then US president Donald Trump.

He said he used a commercial flight and stayed in Pakistan Embassy’s room to give the message that he had gone there to protect Pakistan’s interests. “I spent only $150,000 on the US visit in comparison to Nawaz Sharif’s visit that had cost country around $1.2 million,” he said, claiming that it was for this reason China respected Pakistan.

He said China gave its fighter aircraft J10C in just seven months and the Russian president gave three guards of honour during his recent visit to Moscow.

Published in Dawn, March 14th, 2022