Imran Khan Lays Out Road to Pakistan's Economic Recovery
17:18 27.03.2023 (Updated: 18:09 27.03.2023)
© AP Photo / K.M. Chaudary
Subscribe
Imran Khan and his PTI party organized a massive public rally at the historic Minar-e-Pakistan in the early hours of Sunday.
Despite having to postpone the rally twice, the PTI chairman managed to deliver a lengthy speech, which lasted well into the night.
A day before the rally, Khan called on Pakistanis to attend the large-scale gathering, as it was "their right as people of a free nation that won its independence and come to Minar-e-Pakistan."
یہ ہے کپتان کا جلسہ ۔۔۔ عمران خان زندہ باد pic.twitter.com/Em4cnPjJXH
— PTI Lahore (@PTIOfficialLHR) March 26, 2023
Historical Meaning Behind Choice of Speech Site
Minar-e-Pakistan is a tower located in the central old district of Lahore that was built in the 1960s at the site of where the All-India Muslim League passed the Lahore Resolution on March 23, 1940.
The meeting at the historic venue was planned to start at 9pm, but due to road blockades, Khan reached the venue after 11:30pm. He received a roaring welcome from the masses, including families, waving PTI flags and dancing to songs.
Meanwhile, the city administration deployed barriers, temprorarily blocking a few routes to ensure security at the mass rally because of threat alerts.
According to the PTI, some 1,800 activists were rounded up from across Punjab in a bid to "flop" the rally, while Internet access was also restricted.
Khan Challenges Incumbent Gov't to 'Save' Pakistan
During his address, Khan called out the establishment, who, he insists, have been preventing him from coming back to power. However, he said he would back down if he was sure that the incumbent government and the establishment knew how to rescue the country from its current economic turmoil.
"I challenge that the incumbent rulers don’t have the ability or the intention [to save the country]," Khan said, adding that he would step aside if "[the establishment] tells me ‘we have a plan’… [but] I know what the program is…there is no program."
According to the former PM, there was no "easy way out" of the current crisis, and that while difficult decisions were required, only a government with a public mandate could make such decisions.
Imran Khan's 10-Point Program to Solve Pakistan's Crisis
Addressing the crowd, Khan announced his 10-point program that he believes could resolve Pakistan's current economic crisis.
The program which the PTI plans to implement if they come back to power will focus on working with overseas Pakistanis, as Khan believes they will start investing in the country once there is political stability and that direct foreign investment will aid the country greatly.
He further explained that his party would focus on export and facilitate those businessmen looking to export, as that will also bring dollars into the country. Furthermore, the former PM wants to promote tourism in the country, adding that the minerals sector would be focused on generating revenue, as Pakistan has a vast potential of precious minerals in the northern areas.
Moreover, the PTI will work to revive small and medium industries, as that would increase the tax net to generate revenue. The PTI chair also said that he would bring back the housing financing scheme and regularize "katchi abadis" (slums).
One of Khan's trump cards during his tenure was a healthcare program which helped thousands of Pakistanis and brought the country a step closer to becoming a welfare state. He vowed to resuscitate the health care program, as it was canceled by the current government when it came to power last year.
Furthermore, Imran Khan said that his government would increase agricultural productivity with the cooperation of China and that it would take harsh steps to stop money laundering, adding that the current account deficit would be curtailed as well.
Khan's plan was greeted by energized cheers from the crowds, as thousands of his supporters welcomed the plan to help Pakistan recover from the current political and economic crisis. It should be noted that the country has been facing unprecedented inflation of over 34% and some 800,000 people have left the country for better job prospects in the last several months.
Khan, who was removed from power in a no-confidence vote by the opposition PML-N and PPP last April, has been trying to secure fair elections and return as prime minister. He remains the most popular leader in the country, as indicated by multiple polls on approval ratings conducted in Pakistan over the last few months.
Just a day before his rally, on Saturday, Imran Khan spoke with a foreign media outlet, saying that the country was heading towards martial law because the current government was completely violating the constitution, as it postponed general elections in Punjab ordered by the Supreme Court.
