Imran Khan stresses need for ‘strong institutions’ to curb corruption

LAHORE: Former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan has asserted that strong institutions were imperative to curb corruption, saying that the country’s economy can be restored only with the implementation of law, ARY News reported on Tuesday.

According to details, the former premier made these remarks while addressing a seminar as Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf issued white paper on country’s state of the economy.

Imran Khan reiterated that political stability was a must to revive the country’s ‘deteriorating’ economy, adding that ‘transparent and immediate’ elections were the only way out of the prevailing challenges.

He regretted that two political families – Sharifs and Zardaris – had plundered the country for 30 years. The PTI Chairman said he feared the direction the country was heading, recalling that there was no example of what happened in the last eight months as more than 700,000 people left the country.

Speaking about the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Imran Khan stated that approaching the IMF would cause the country discomfort, adding that if the country received loans from the Fund, it would be difficult to make independent decisions.

Referring to the economic survey, the former prime minister said that after 17 years, it was his government that delivered for the country with perfection.

Talking about the exports, he said there was a dire need to resolve issues of the exporters, claiming that the former Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government left the country in a historical deficit.

He questioned how the country can be transformed into an ‘Asian Tiger’ if exporters were not considered important. He slammed the coalition government, saying those involved in activities such as money laundering were now teaching the country a lesson.

Imran Khan also expressed concern over the ‘rising’ inflation, saying that the prices of essential commodities – including petroleum products and power – have increased by up to 200 percent.

He further claimed that almost 1.5 million people were left unemployed in the field of the textile sector. The former premier also expressed concern over the rupees’ depreciation against the US dollar.

The PTI chief cited Sri Lanka’s example, saying that the country was going through the same situation, lamenting that it was difficult for salaried people to survive under the circumstances.

Speaking about the next government, Imran Khan said that the successor to the incumbent government should have come to power through a mandate.

He lamented that his government, ‘which was showing great performance’, was toppled and thieves were imposed on the country. “We were repeatedly told that we have failed to deliver and later gang of thieves were imposed”, he added.

The former prime minister pointed out that strong institutions were imperative to curb corruption, adding that the country’s economy can be restored only with the implementation of law.