“No matter how many times you call yourself neutral, history will blame you for what you did with the country.”
By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: PTI chief Imran Khan on Thursday called on the military establishment to review its policies of supporting coalition government of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif as there was still time left to manage the political and economic crisis in the country.
“I want to ask the neutrals (the term he uses for the military establishment) today; do you know where the country is heading?” Khan said at a seminar in Islamabad. “How can the country and economy progress when you don’t even know what will happen in the next 2-3 months.”
The former prime minister, who has fallen out of favour with the powerful military establishment, said the ‘correct decisions’ needed to be taken immediately with regard to the country’s current political situation.
“No matter how many times you call yourself neutral, history will blame you for what you did with the country,” he said. “You should review and think that there are 220 million people in this country … over 60 percent of the population comprised of youngsters, and they needed jobs.“
“Decisions taken behind closed doors are not in the best interest of Pakistan.”
Khan, since his unceremonious ouster from power, repeatedly alleged that ‘some elements’ in the powerful military establishment who indulged in ‘bad practices’ were responsible for toppling his government. Khan was voted out on April 10 after the National Assembly passed a no-confidence motion against him.
Many politicians previously accuse the military of easing Khan into the prime minister’s post in 2018, saying that the security forces winnowed the opposition in a campaign of coercion and intimidation.
Khan, a populist leader and former cricket star, denounced his political opponents as corrupt but his strongman-style anti-corruption drive remained ineffective and he failed to prove charges of corruption on any of his opponent when in power.
“When I became the prime minister, the NAB (National Accountability Bureau) was not under my control … and there was a hand of someone who would press the accelerator and undo it as per his wish. If NAB was in my control, I would have retrieved Rs15 to Rs20 billion from them,” Khan said.
He asked the military, why they let corrupt leaders rule the country? “This means you don’t see theft as a bad thing.”
“But with great power comes great responsibility… No matter how many times you call yourself neutral, history will blame you for what you did with the country.”
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