Imran Khan gives countrywide protest call on Sunday

ISLAMABAD: Former Prime Minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan has announced a countrywide protest on Sunday against rising inflation and hike in prices of petroleum products, ARY News reported on Thursday.

In a video message, the former premier has called on the people of Pakistan to hold a countrywide protest on Sunday at 9 pm against the ‘rising inflation’ and petrol price hike

“Everyone has to come out against this imported government, otherwise inflation will further increase,” Imran Khan said, adding that he will address the protestors at 10 pm.

The PTI chairman further said that he will announce a plan of action for the future. “As a nation, we have to raise our voice against the rising inflation and this imported government, he added.

The former premier reiterated that the no-confidence motion was brought against him with the help of the US. “Our people became turncoats and our allies left us,” Imran Khan

Speaking about inflation, the PTI chairman pointed out that every other political party staged protests during his tenure against inflation. “These people were used to criticised us for rising inflation and incompetence,” he noted.

“During our three-and-a-half-year tenure, the petrol price increased by Rs50 only and was being sold at Rs150 per litre. We had given a subsidy of Rs200 billion on oil prices”, he added,

Imran Khan said, “We were also asked by International Monetary Fund (IMF) to end subsidies, but we provided relief to the people from rising inflation.”

He noted that the incumbent government has so far increased the price of petrol by Rs 85 in just two months. “We had kept diesel prices lower deliberately in our tenure and was being sold at Rs145 per liter,” Imran Khan added.

“When diesel prices increase all transport becomes more expensive”, he said, pointing out that farmers usually face more problems due to the increase in diesel prices.

Speaking about the new prime minister, Imran alleged that Shehbaz had taken over the National Accountability Bureau and Federal Investigation Agency in a bid to drop corruption cases against him. He added that the money laundering case against Shehbaz was an “open and shut [case] which should have been decided a year ago”.