Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday vowed to bring the national wealth, looted and laundered abroad by some politicians, back to the country and never to offer any NRO to the corrupt leaders who had joined hands against him in the name of democracy. Those, who had come together in the name of saving democracy, had only sole objective to pressurize him for getting a National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) and save themselves from the punishment for their corruption, loot and plunder, he said while addressing a huge public gathering here at Wana, the main town of South Waziristan.
The prime minister said he wanted to give a message to all those people, including Asif Ali Zardari, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Sharifs and others, who feared accountability that be it cricket or politics, his life was full of struggles and fights, and his main objective to join the politics was to hold the corrupt accountable.
"Without punishing the corrupt, our country has no future," he said and added those who came through political struggle did not have any fear of accountability.
The prime minister said he neither like Bilawal Bhutto Zardari had inherited the leadership nor like Nawaz Sharif was made chief minister by General Jilani. He described Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazl chief Maulana Fazl ur Rehman as the 12th man, who, he said, had already lost his wicket.
Imran Khan also presented a brief account of the economic difficulties being faced by the country and said the two political parties (Pakistan Peoples Party and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz) had pushed Pakistan into the debt trap during the last 10 years by increasing the loan from Rs 6,000 billion in 2008 to Rs 30,000 billion in 2018.
The corrupt politicians looted the country's wealth and laundered it abroad, he said, adding, "When the money is laundered abroad, it creates the shortages of dollar and leads to devaluation of local currency and inflation, which hits the common man." The prime minister said since her mother belonged to the Burki tribe he first visited South Waziristan 30 years back and also wrote a book on tribal areas. He was perhaps the first head of government in Pakistan, who knew well about the history, traditions and problems of the tribal people.
He lauded the bravery and patriotism of the people of South Waziristan, who, he said, always stood with the country's forces in hard times, including the 1965 War. The people of the area had created many freedom fighters during the British rule.
The prime minister said he had opposed the deployment of troops in the erstwhile Federally Administered Tribal Areas on the desire of the United States after the 9/11 incident. He lauded the people of South Waziristan for their sacrifices, including their displacement due to the war against terrorism.
The prime minister assured the people of South Waziristan that with the allocation of Rs 100 billion per year for the development of tribal areas for ten years, which had already been agreed upon by all political parties, he would ensure the provision of compensation to the people who had lost their houses, businesses, lands and shops during the temporary displacement.
He said the people of South Waziristan would be provided with the facility of Sehat Insaf Card under which every family would have Rs 720,000 per annum at their disposal to get free of charge medical treatment from any hospital.
Additionally under the Insaf Rozgar Scheme, the prime minister said, the youth of South Waziristan would be provided interest-free or soft loans to start their own businesses and earn respectable livelihoods.
He also announced two degree colleges - one each for girls and boys, besides the construction of a sports complex and playgrounds at various places of Wana.
The prime minister referred to the local government system introduced by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, also being implemented in Punjab, would be brought to the tribal areas so that the people got their issues resolved at village levels through Jirga or jury system. The prime minister said he would make an announcement about making Wana as district within a week after consultations.