PM Imran says promised Allah 'I won't let go of those who robbed country'

MIANWALI: Prime Minister Imran Khan said Friday he had "promised Allah that I would not let go of those who robbed the country", and, therefore, accountability would continue regardless of what the Opposition did.

Addressing a ceremony to lay the foundation stone for a hospital here in the city's Namal Valley, Khan noted that a modern hospital would help the people of Mianwali. The government would upgrade the Mianwali Hospital as well, he added.

"The world remembers a person who does something for its people," the premier said.

Among those in attendance were his friend and British-Pakistani businessperson, Aneel Musarrat, Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar, Advisor on Commerce, Textiles, Industries, and Investment, Abdul Razak Dawood, and a large number of overseas Pakistanis.

'Qatari letters and Calibri font documents'

On corruption, Khan warned those who claimed that they would not answer that "we will extract answers from them". Those who threaten, raise a hue and cry, and stage drama, they were the same people who tried to use influence from abroad as well, the premier said.

The premier added that he had submitted some 60 documents to the Supreme Court of Pakistan whereas those who raised a hue and cry "only submitted Qatari letters and Calibri font documents".

The PM further underscored that none of the cases against the Opposition leader was filed by the incumbent government but that it just let the institutions operate independently and gave them full authority to proceed without any pressure.

Terming corruption as the biggest impediment in the country's progress, Khan said the looters of public money would be held accountable at every cost. He mentioned: "This time, the powerful will come under the claw of accountability … [those] who had inflicted immense damage to the country during their tenures.

"I have been waiting for this moment for 22 years [of my political struggle] to bring to book those who plundered public money," he said, noting that national culprits were dubbing accountability as "political revenge and a threat to democracy.

"In fact, they want to hide their corruption but people are well aware of these political gimmicks," he said.

He wished to restore the confidence of international investors in Pakistan by ending corruption, Khan said, adding that several overseas Pakistani entrepreneurs had told him that they were willing to invest in the country but were hesitant over the menace of corruption.

The premier expressed confidence that Pakistan would achieve the status of a strong and prosperous country as the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government had started taking tough measures in the best national interest.

"It's my promise to the nation that I will get this country on the trajectory of development," he said.

'Adopt-a-hospital' project

Khan also invited the private sector to step forward in adopting the country's major hospitals and join the government's journey of bringing improvement in the health sector.

"Under the adopt-a-hospital project, we can bring a significant change in the health sector through a public-private partnership," he said, adding that the government alone could not revamp all medical facilities across Pakistan but the private sector's financial assistance could yield positive results.

He said several other groups had also approached him to adopt a hospital, which was an encouraging sign.

Whose Urdu is better?

Separately, speaking of his friend and British-Pakistani businessperson, Aneel Musarrat, Khan said his Urdu was much better than that of Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, the chairperson of the Pakistan People's Party (PPP)/

Musarrat had earlier said his own Urdu was not good enough, to which the aforementioned was Khan's response.

The premier also lauded Musarrat, who was in attendance and would be financing the hospital to cater to the health needs of thousands of patients.