Pakistan PM says he will not resign before vote to oust him on Sunday
Pakistanis watch news channels broadcast a live address to the nation by Imran Khan in Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore and Peshawar on Thursday night. AP / AFP / Reuters
Tariq Butt, Correspondent
Prime Minister Imran Khan said on Thursday that when the voting on the no-confidence motion against him takes place on Sunday, the destiny of Pakistan will be decided, and regardless of its result, he will emerge stronger.
In a televised address to the nation on Thursday night, he said he still hoped that the defectors of his party would change their mind and come back otherwise they were going to face the music everywhere.
The prime minister said not only these deserters but also those who were behind them would face humiliation. "The masses will never forgive these persons,” he said.
Imran said he would talk about something important about Pakistan’s future. "I decided to do this address live because Pakistan is at a defining moment and we have two paths ahead of us. But before that, I want to tell you why a person like me entered politics. I am a fortunate person whom Allah has blessed with everything, including fame and wealth. I am from the first generation that was born in a free country. Pakistan is five years older than me. My parents were born during times of slavery. They made me realise that I was lucky to have been born in a free country because in slavery you cannot rise above a certain level."
The prime minister explained why he had entered politics in the 1990s following a successful cricket career. "I entered politics because I came to the conclusion that Pakistan can never be the country that Allama Iqbal dreamt of and Quaid-e-Azam struggled for even in poor health," he said.
"The main purpose of Pakistan was to become an Islamic welfare state, which traces back to the state of Madina. When I started politics, I included three things in my party's manifesto. Justice, which means law is the same for the powerful and the weak. Humanity because there is kindness in an Islamic state, and third, traitors because a Muslim nation cannot be a slave."
Imran said had Allah not blessed him with faith, he would not have entered politics. "I was mocked for 14 years and people repeatedly asked me why I entered politics. I came into politics because of an ideology. Since I joined politics, I have always said that neither will I bow down before anyone and nor will I let my nation bow down. It means I will not let my nation be a slave to anyone. I have never backed down from this stance."
He said he decided the day he became the prime minister that our foreign policy will be independent, which means it will be for Pakistanis. It doesn't mean that we wanted enmity. "When I got the government I said that we will not have any foreign policy that is not in our favour.”
The prime minister then discussed the “threat letter” that purportedly shows "evidence" of a foreign conspiracy to oust his government. In what appeared a slip of tongue, he named the United States as the country behind the threat.
"I am here today because on March 8 or 7, the United States ... not the US ... we got a message. For a free country, a message like this is not only against its prime minister but is also against the country itself."
"They knew beforehand that a no-trust move was coming. The no-trust motion was not even submitted at the time. It means that they (the opposition) were connected with these people abroad, They say they are angry with Pakistan; they make this excuse. They say they will forgive Pakistan if Imran loses in a no-trust move, but if the move fails, Pakistan will have to go through a difficult time."
Imran said in an official document it was stated that “if Imran Khan remains the prime minister, our ties will suffer and you will face difficulties.”
"I am telling my nation today that this is our status. We are a nation of 220 million and another country - and they are not giving any reason - is issuing threats. They said that Imran decided to go to Russia on his own even though the Foreign Office and the military leadership was consulted.
"Our ambassador told them that the decision [to visit Russia was made after consultations] but they are denying it and saying that 'it was only because of Imran and that our ties cannot be good if he stays.' What they are actually saying is that they have no issue with the people who will replace Imran.”
