The Muslim Times’ Editor for Pakistan
Credit: Xpress Tribune
KARACHI: Addressing a mammoth crowd at the Quaid’s Mausoleum, Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaaf Chief Imran Khan signaled that his party’s tsunami was reaching new heights, on its way to fulfilling his dream of forming the government.
“When I saw Tsunami in Lahore, I thought to myself it will be very difficult to top this. But today, I congratulate the people of Karachi, because they beat the [October 30] rally,” Imran said. He chanted the names of all of Pakistan’s major ethnicities as people from those groups responded. Mentioning religious minorities, he wished a merry Christmas to the Christians of Pakistan.
The PTI Chairman said a special welcome to a man he introduced as Zulfiqar Ali who had come all the way from Dera Ghazi Khan to attend the rally. “He financed his trip by selling his mobile phone!”
“I welcome Javed Hashmi to PTI. The one thing I truly admire about him is his bravery. I welcome Shah Mahmood Qureshi again,” he said. He then made the announcement that former foreign minister Sardar Asif Ali has said that he will be joining the PTI.
“The Quaid wanted Pakistan to be an Islamic welfare state, and I will make it into one,” Khan said. He said that it was at the age of 18 when he first went to Britain and understood what a welfare state is.
“I was surprised to see that every person, rich or poor, was given a free education that would enable him or her to even become the prime minister of Britain,” he said. “This is my dream: A Pakistan where every human being is valued.”
“The first thing we want to create is a just legal system in the country. We want courts that do not discriminate. We will take justice to the grassroots, to the rural areas and include everyone in the system,” Imran said. “We will provide everyone justice for free.”
“This is my promise to you: I will bring forth for you a team the likes of which this country has never seen,” Imran said. “What will this team do? Under Jahangir Tarin, this team will present policy papers on every issue twice a month. We will present policies on agriculture, transport, local government, and foreign affairs. We will present to you how Pakistan will become an independent nation.”
And most importantly, PTI will present a tax plan that will ensure that this country never has to beg for money from anybody, he said. “We will create a police force independent of political influence, based purely on merit. When I am in government, one day they will even stop Imran Khan’s own car for over speeding.”
Announcing his support for Balochistan, he said that the next stop of his ‘tsunami’ will be Quetta on March 23, 2012. “My Balochi brothers, I ask you for forgiveness on behalf of Pakistanis. We have been unjust to you. We did to you what we did to East Pakistanis. We have kept you as a colony.”
When PTI is in power, we will use the model of West and East Germany, he said. “West Germany gave East Germany special status and diverted all development to thast area. We will develop Balochistan. We will come to you, embrace you, ask for your forgiveness, and address all your grievances,” he said.
The PTI Chairman did not raise criticism against the MQM in his speech.
End of live updates
8:48pm
PTI Chief Imran Khan addresses the rally.
“When I saw Tsunami in Lahore, I thought to myself it will be very difficult to top this. But today, I congratulate the people of Karachi, because they beat the [October 30] rally,” Imran says. He chanted the names of all of Pakistan’s major ethnicities as people from those groups responded. Mentioning religious minorities, he wished a merry Christmas to the Christians of Pakistan.
He said a special welcome to a man he introduced as Zulfiqar Ali who had come all the way from Dera Ghazi Khan to attend the rally. “He financed his trip by selling his mobile phone!”
“I welcome Javed Hashmi to PTI. The one thing I truly admire about him is his bravery. I welcome Shah Mahmood Qureshi again,” he said.
He then made the announcement that former foreign minister Sardar Asif Ali has said that he will be joining the PTI.
08:00pm
Qureshi says that when he was the foreign minister of Pakistan, he expressed opinions against the US-India civil nuclear deal. However, he says President Zardari sent out a message that Pakistan will not go against any such nuclear deal.
Qureshi says that a nuclear deal between US and India severely undermines Pakistan.
If Pakistan ever signs “no first strike” agreement with India, its nuclear assets will be wasted and worthless, Qureshi says.
He “accuses” President Zardari of ruining the deterrent value of Pakistan’s nuclear program by saying ‘no first strike’ on India.
The PTI vice chairman assures the people that Pakistan’s nuclear assets are physically safe but are threatened by such “evil” decisions and such people.
Clarifying PTI’s stand on India, Qureshi says that his party wants friendship with everyone, with the US and India. But it would not tolerate slave-master relations.
“We want friendship and not slavery,” says Qureshi.
“If you want to see this country as an independent country, then vote for a leadership that has the guts to take bold stand on all such decisions,” Qureshi says.