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Published 04 Nov, 2008 12:00am

HYDERABAD: Rulers urged to transfer their foreign bank accounts

HYDERABAD, Nov 3: Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf secretary-general Dr Arif Alvi has urged the top leadership of the country to transfer cash in their foreign bank accounts to Pakistan to help the wobbling national economy get back on track and save it from accepting stricter IMF conditions for much-needed loan.

Addressing a news conference at the press club on Sunday during the last leg of his countrywide visit to strengthen PTI’s organisational structure, Mr Alvi said that tribal areas faced tremendous pressure in the shape of bombings by Pakistani forces while in 50 per cent area of Swat, the government’s writ simply did not exist.

He said that parliamentarians were not moving beyond Peshawar. “If we are fighting terror with this attitude then its victims will themselves spread the way they could,” he said.

He said that the policy which had failed in Iraq and Afghanistan was being adopted in the country. The US think-tanks had reached the conclusion that negotiations were the only solution to such situations, he added.

“As a result of present war on terror policy of the government we are losing 99 people on our side to one casualty on the other side,” he said.

“Pakistan government is following US policies while the country is deep in economic quagmire which is directly linked with our political strategy,” Dr. Alvi said.

He advised the government that it was high time it should offer carrot to correct the situation. If fuel arte had been linked with international economy then the cost of petroleum production would have greatly reduced by now, he observed.

He said that the internal security situation was too bad and the country lacked political or economic stability. “Our friends have refused to give us hard cash, which speaks volumes for level of our credibility,” he remarked.

He said that PTI chief Imran Khan was very much right when he asked the country’s top leadership to shift their dollars to Pakistan as a confidence-building gestures for others.

He criticised the government for whiling away time in discussing just plan A or B and appreciated the chief of army staff’s decision to halt construction of a new GHQ.

He expressed concern over Balochistan situation and said that no substantive progress had taken place in the troubled province after the PPP chairperson offered apology to its people.

He condemned the forces which were trying to trap the government in the name of extremism and said the government had not announced sufficient price for paddy in Sindh and Punjab and it should also shelve plans to privatise Qadirpur gas field.

The PTI leader said that democratic forces should raise voice for issues but street agitation was not a viable option because it risked providing an opportunity to centrifugal forces to exploit the situation in their favour.

Dr Alvi said that said that the joint resolution adopted by the parliament’s in-camera session was given no weight by the US forces despite Pakistan government’s contacts. “It badly hurts the credibility of parliament when bombings take place in tribal areas even after passage of resolution,” he said.

He said that another democratic tool which the parties could use was opinion polls and tabling of no confidence motion against government. “I am not proposing it with mala fide intention. It would rather strengthen the government’s position and help it wriggle out of the pressure by Bush administration,” he said.

He said that the PML-N should table the no-confidence motion to enable the government to use it with the newly-elected US administration. He said that he had no doubts about the rulers’ patriotism.

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