Nawaz, Zardari took dollar to Rs125 over past 10 years, says Imran

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan Saturday accused Nawaz Sharif and Asif Ali Zardari of increasing the value of one dollar to Rs125 from Rs60 over the past 10 years.

The PTI chief Khan said so while addressing workers at Jinnah Convention Centre as part of his election campaign in National Assembly constituency NA-53 Islamabad.

He said that other properties owned by Nawaz in London have also come to the fore, adding, "But the father and daughter have been crying 'why were they ousted?'"

Khan said that there was no member of the Sharif family for whom Pakistani hospitals were fit for treatment.

"Ishaq Dar's was pictured at a hospital or some studio? Shehbaz also goes abroad for treatment every other day," he slammed, urging the masses not to vote for a party whose leaders did not live and die in Pakistan.

"Properties were made in London through money laundering," the PTI chief said. "They were caught red-handed in Panama leaks, but despite that they have been crying all over the country."

"They have money, power. Had there been a weak man, he would have been lying in Adiyala prison," he said, adding that half of the inmates in prisons had the offence of being poor.

Khan said the Almighty had given the nation a chance to change its fate.

'We were never prepared the way we are this time'

Speaking of the forthcoming elections, he said that they were never prepared [for the election] the way they are this time.

The PTI chief said that he wanted to tell a few things to the workers.

"Workers should note that the first rule of a competition is to never consider your opponent weak," he said. "We were never prepared the way we are this time."

'Grown old over matter of party tickets'

Speaking of distribution of tickets, he said that he faced immense difficulties in the process of awarding party tickets to the candidates.

"There were several capable candidates, but the ticket was to be handed to one person," Khan said, adding that there was no way to avoid the dismay of aspirants.

"My wife saw me growing old in three weeks over the matter of party tickets," he said.

"When 11 players are picked out of a squad of 20, then the remaining individuals feel disappointed," the PTI chief said, adding that once he also felt disappointed when he was not selected in the team.

"Around 4000 individuals applied and so far 650 individuals have been awarded party tickets."

Women workers, intra-party elections

He lauded the women members of his party for their services during [Islamabad] sit-in, however, noted that awarding tickets to women, who could legislate, was necessary.

Khan said the phase of tickets' distribution was really tormenting. "I do not want to get into the agony of tickets in future; we will hold party election after the [general] election."

He further said that no woman will be awarded ticket for a reserved seat, unless she makes her way up through the party ranks by contesting intra-party elections.

Earlier this week, Imran’s papers for NA-53 were approved after an election appellate tribunal allowed the PTI chief to contest polls from Islamabad.

His papers had been rejected on the basis of not filling out clause-N, which asks candidates about their contributions to their previous constituencies.

When the former cricketer-turned-politician had appeared before the Islamabad election tribunal, he had explained that he set up the Shaukat Khanum Cancer Hospital and Namal College, and made the nation aware of its constitutional rights and exhorted the public to struggle for their rights.

Imran invites former PML-N member Ch Ghafoor to join PTI

Imran Khan on Saturday invited former PML-N member Chaudhry Abdul Ghafoor to join PTI.

During his contact with the PML-N renegade, Imran said to Ghafoor, "You are a brave man. PTI needs people like you."

Abdul Ghafoor announced to end his 28-year-old association with the PML-N last week, after accusing the Sharif brothers of ‘selling’ party tickets.