Bringing powerful under rule of law is the goal of our struggle: PM Imran

He said he faced immense hardships in his struggle to uphold rule of law

ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – Prime Minister Imran Khan on Sunday said that the nations are destroyed not by lack of resources but by corruption and bringing the powerful under the rule of law is the goal of our struggle and we will definitely win the war against mafia.

In his message on PTI s 25th Foundation Day, he said that he had announced to form a political party 25 years ago and the purpose for the formation of the party was to rid the country of corruption.

The prime minister said that first 15 years were the first phase of our struggle, then slowly the youth joined him and then the politicians joined the party.

He said youth played a cardinal role in PTI s rise and acceptability among the masses and public rally of October 30, 2011 in Lahore took him and his party to new heights of popularity.

Imran Khan said he demanded of the government of the day to open four constituencies to gauge the level of rigging, but these demands fell on deaf ears. Consequently, the party organized a 126-day long sit-in in Islamabad, but no attention was given to electoral reforms.

The PM said now the PTI government is working on introducing internationally recognized electronic voting machines to make the election process credible.

The premier went on to say that he learned in the cricket ground not to back away, adding that a successful person is one who dreams and fulfills his dreams.

He said he faced immense hardships in his struggle to uphold rule of law and remained steadfast in his determination.

Imran Khan said now he entered the most difficult phase of his life as his government inherited a bankrupt economy and record foreign and domestic debts in the history of Pakistan. He said Pakistan s debt soared to four times in 10 years due to two consecutive governments of previous two parties.

He said our foreign exchange reserves had depleted and the country was facing history s biggest Current Account Deficit of 20 billion dollars. He said strenuous efforts were made to avert default. He said Saudi Arabia and China helped a lot in this regard.

Highlighting achievements of his government, Imran Khan said Current Account Deficit has become surplus in 2.5 years for the first time. He said Pakistan s foreign exchange reserves are improving, Pakistani rupee is becoming stronger, economy is gaining people s confidence, and stock market is performing well.

He said construction sector is moving forward at a fast pace, record sales of cement have been reported, large scale manufacturing is doing well, and sales of automobiles are on the rise. He said farmers are getting the highest price of their crops, especially the sugarcane and wheat.

The prime minister said the government is focusing on wealth creation to bring the country out of the debt trap for which two new cities are being built and we are trying to convince the Sindh government on Bundle Island project.

He said projects like Central Business District are being completed under public-private partnership for wealth creation in the country. He said incentives are being given to the industrial sector, especially to the Small and Medium Enterprises.

The premier said different programs have successfully been launched under Ehsaas flagship program including establishment of Panahgah, Langar Khana and Koi Bhoka Na Soye to make Pakistan a true welfare state.

He said every family of Pakistan will be provided health coverage facility Under Health card scheme. He said 100 percent of population has so far been provided with this facility in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, while this will be ensured to 100 percent population of Punjab by the end of this year. He said construction work on two big dams is underway.

The Prime Minister said the government is providing easy loans to poor and the low-income group people to have their own residence under Prime Minister s Housing Scheme.

Imran Khan said he is going to launch Kissan Card tomorrow for farmers of the country to increase their productivity and uplift the agriculture sector. He said Tourism sector is given special focus to utilize country s tourism potential and to generate revenue.

Talking about measures taken on the climate change front, Imran Khan said his government has launched Ten Billion Tree Tsunami project across Pakistan.