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Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan said on Sunday that he did not enter politics to regulate the price of ‘aloo, tamatar,’ as he slammed the Opposition parties for filing a no-confidence motion in Parliament accusing him of mismanaging the economy.
Khan stated the people would stand against those attempting to destabilise his government by “buying the conscience of the [lawmakers] using money” while speaking at a political gathering in Hafizabad, Punjab province. He predicted that Pakistan will become a great country in the remaining months of his presidency, and that the incentives outlined by his government would soon bear fruit.
The cricketer-turned-politician said he entered politics 25 years ago for the sake of the country’s youth, adding that he had no personal advantage from doing so because he had had all a person could want in life.
“I didn’t go into politics to learn how much ‘aloo and tamatar’ cost (potatoes and tomatoes). I joined to help the young of the country “, said Khan, the chairman of Pakistan’s ruling Tehreek-e-Insaf party.
“If we are to establish a great nation,” Khan continued, “we must support the truth.” “For the past 25 years, this is what I’ve been preaching.”
Khan’s speech came just days after the united opposition front filed a no-confidence motion against him, banking its hopes for the motion’s success on the ruling party’s estranged members and allies.
The key leaders of the Opposition parties will meet on Monday at the residence of the Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly and President of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Shehbaz Sharif, to hold a consultative huddle in order to devise an effective strategy for ensuring the success of the no-confidence motion.
Khan further stated that it was the state’s and judiciary’s role to prevent “corrupt” and “convicted” politicians from attempting to “topple the state” through horse-trading.
People will realise that those attempting to depose him from power will be buried under the weight of their own plot, he said.
In his speech, Khan chastised the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif, and the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairperson Asif Ali Zardari for remaining silent on US drone strikes in Pakistan between 2008 and 2018, claiming that those leaders never spoke up for Pakistan’s rights.
The opposition requires 172 votes in the National Assembly’s 342-member chamber to dismiss the prime minister. Prime Minister Khan, who is 69 years old, was elected in 2018, and the next general election is set for 2023.
