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Wait for my call, I will call you to Islamabad: Imran Khan tells Pakistanis to gear up

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April 22, 2022

'The actual party has just begun, our campaign will intensify,' Imran Khan says at Lahore jalsa

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PTI Chairman Imran Khan addressing the party's Lahore

jalsa at Minar-e-Pakistan, on April 21, 2022. — YouTube/PTI.                           LAHORE: Get ready for the campaign to achieve "actual independence" and wait for my call to Islamabad, PTI Chairman Imran Khan told Pakistanis Thursday, as he vowed to keep struggling against the "imported government".

"The actual party has just begun, our campaign will intensify [...] wait for my call. I don't want anything else except early elections," the ex-prime minister told the Lahore jalsa, calling on the "people who had committed a mistake" to hold early polls.

Khan called on the supporters of PML-N and PPP as well to support the PTI as they were unaware of the foreign conspiracy that had been hatched against his government.

The PTI chairman said his party was a democratic force and wanted democratic solutions. "Those who have committed a mistake, it is your turn to hold early elections."

"But I want to make it clear, I do not want any conflict. This is my country and I have nowhere else to go [...] I will live and die in Pakistan," the PTI chairman said.

Khan reiterated that if Pakistan did not have a strong army, then the country would have been split into three parts. "Had our army personnel not sacrificed their lives the way they did, our situation would have been similar to the one in Syria and Iraq."

Berating the incumbent government for ousting him from power, the ex-prime minister alleged they bought the conscience of lawmakers and "polished the boots of foreign powers".

Going into the details of why a "foreign conspiracy" was hatched against him, Khan said that the day he came into power his goal was  to give an independent   foreign policy to Pakistan.

"An independent foreign policy means that all the decisions will be made in the interest of the people. I cannot sacrifice my countrymen for a foreign power," Khan said.

The PTI chairman alleged that the incumbent rulers were always obedient when foreign powers gave them directives but claimed he did not follow suit, so the foreign powers "did not like it".

Khan said that he also resolved to raise the issue of Islamophobia at every international forum — the United Nations, Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, and others — as a strong 1.5 billion Muslim populace was troubled in foreign countries.

"So the foreigners did not like that either," he said.

The third thing that the foreign powers did not like was his attitude of "not taking dictation from anyone". The ousted premier claimed that a foreign power questioned his visit to Russia.

Defending his Russia visit, the PTI chairman said Moscow was ready to provide Pakistan with petroleum products at a 30% cheaper rate as compared to international prices.

"We could sell petrol and Fazlur Rehman (diesel) at 30% cheaper rates," the ex-premier said, taking a jibe at the JUI-F chief, whose party is part of the ruling coalition.

On India's foreign policy

Khan said importing oil from Russia was in Pakistan's interest. He added that the United States asked India to not import oil from Russia, but New Delhi told Washington that it was in their nation's interest to purchase the commodity from Moscow."It means that India's foreign policy is for their countrymen's interests, but our foreign policy is to achieve another country's goals," the PTI chairman alleged.

Khan said the foreign powers did not like him boosting trade with China as well.

"Since they did not like all of these things, a conspiracy was planned. But no conspiracy can be successful without the support of Mir Jafars and Mir Sadiqs," the ousted premier said.

He said the incumbent government — comprising of three stooges, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, PPP Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari, and JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman — fully supported the foreign conspiracy.

Khan claimed that his government was removed from power at a time when the country was progressing, with remittances, tax collection, and development at "historic levels".

"The unemployment level was at its lowest; we were ahead of everyone. Our government also handled the coronavirus in an exemplary manner as we saved lives and the employment of our poor people," Khan said.

Toshakhana controversy

Referring to the Toshakhana controversy, he said during the previous governments, the leaders would purchase items from the Toshakhana at 15% of the original cost.

"But when we came into power, we set the rate at 50% — the amount would go to the government. Anything that I bought is on record and everything was done in line with the law," he said.

Khan said he repaired the road outside his house through his personal money and did not take the government's money for it. "I pay my own expenses."