Nation will foil Imran Khan’s attempt to wage civil war in country: PM Shehbaz

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Sunday that the nation will foil Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan’s attempt to start a civil war in the country, Aaj News reported.

“If Imran Khan wants to wage civil war in the country, it will be his wishful thinking and will never happen and the nation will take him to task,” he said, while speaking to media after his visit to the Pakistan Kidney and Liver Institute (PKLI) in Lahore.

PM Shehbaz said that the previous government remained busy in political vendetta instead of completing development works, which is why there was no progress during PTI’s tenure.

The prime minister said that Pakistan will progress, if democracy prevails in the country.

The premier said that the last four years were wasted as the previous government removed competent persons from different positions while acting with malice and closed down public institutions.

He said that the former chief justice came in the PKLI and inquired about its affairs while National Accountability Bureau (NAB) searched thousands of documents of PKLI but in four years could not find out corruption of a dime in the institute.

PM Shehbaz said that Imran Khan was only busy in targeting his political opponents and sending them to jails but he did not have time to look after affairs of the institute.

“Imran did not have time for projects of health, education and public welfare and progress and prosperity was denied to the people,” he added.

Imran Khan calls on nation to march towards Islamabad on May 25

The prime minister said that Imran did not fulfill promise to build 10 million houses and to give employment to five million people but millions of people were made unemployed during his rule.

“The cartels ruled during Imran’s government which was busy in exporting and importing sugar and giving windfall profits to mafias,” he added.

He said that Khan did not have a single public project to show for his four years during which people were crushed under inflation.

“Pakistanis deserved the health and education facilities but stone-hearted Imran Khan due to his arrogance, stubbornness and hate for Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) did not care for the people.

“Nation will not forgive Imran Khan and people will hold him accountable for depriving them of the medical treatment and basic facilities,” he concluded.

The prime minister’s criticism comes hours after the PTI chairman announced to start a long march towards Islamabad against the “imported government” on May 25.

"I call on the my nation, my people, including the women to march towards Islamabad and meet me on Srinagar Highway on May 25," Imran Khan said while addressing the media reporters at the Chief Minister House Peshawar.

He said that his call is not for PTI supporters alone, but for the entire nation, because “this is not politics, but Jihad towards the real struggle for freedom.”

Khan said that he will spend as many days in Islamabad as it takes to force the “imported government” to dissolve assemblies and announce the date for fresh elections.

Khan called on the bureaucracy and the police not to take any "wrong action" to stop his long march, warning that he will take action against those responsible.

He also urged the military establishment to stay neutral as they claim and create no hindrance to his peaceful march.

"I also say to my army that you said you are neutral so now remain neutral." However, he said that he wanted to invite everyone, including the families of civil servants, army personnel and ex-servicemen.