Not Against Anyone, But 22 Crore People Are Priority: Imran Khan In Address To Nation | Top Quotes

PM Imran Khan said the memo was not against the government, but against him. "...it stated that if the no-confidence motion passes, Pakistan will be forgiven, if not, there will be consequences," he said.

Islamabad: With the shadow of a no-confidence motion looming large over the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)-led government, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan addressed the nation on Thursday and said he would not resign at “any cost” and would “never allow this conspiracy” to succeed. In what seemed like a slip of tongue, PM Imran Khan said: “The United States” which he later corrected to “a foreign country” conspiring to oust him from power. In a veiled swipe at the Opposition, the Prime Minister, who has virtually lost the majority in the 342-member National Assembly, said there are enemies inside the country who are cooperating with the “foreign country.”

Top quotes from Imran Khan’s speech:

• “The United States… a foreign country had sent a threatening memo which was against the Pakistani nation…the letter stated that the no-confidence motion was being tabled even before it was filed, which means the Opposition was in contact with them,” the premier alleged.
• PM Imran Khan said the memo was not against the government, but against him, “…it stated that if the no-confidence motion passes, Pakistan will be forgiven, if not, there will be consequences.”
• “It was an official letter that was communicated to Pakistan’s ambassador, who was taking notes during the meeting…The envoy was told that if Imran Khan remains in power, Pakistan would face difficulties,” said PM Imran Khan.
• Talking about his Russia visit just before Moscow invaded Ukraine, Imran Khan said, “…our ambassador told the foreign official that the prime minister had visited Russia after delibrations with [the country’s top brass]. But the foreign official stated that no, it was just Imran Khan’s decision.”
• “Foreign officials knew that the ones who would come into power after me would have no issues taking orders from external forces… But what is most disturbing is that our people, who are sitting here, are in contact with foreign powers,” he said, as he referred to the”three stooges” — PML-N President Shahbaz Sharif, PPP Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari, and PDM chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman.
• Despite Pakistan’s participation and sacrifices it made for the United States’ “war on terror”, Islamabad never received appreciation, PM Imran Khan said adding that when Pakistan’s northern areas were bombarded by US drones, he was the “only politician” who staged sit-ins against it.
• He said Pakistanis suffered due to the “war on terror, and therefore when I came into power, I aspired for an independent foreign policy…our policy was not anti-US, -Europe, or even India […] it became anti-Indian after New Delhi revoked the special status of Kashmir and broke international law in August 2019,”
• Lashing out at the Opposition, PM Imran Khan said “PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif was convicted in Pakistani courts…Musharraf led us into USA’s web. America sanctioned us after we allied with them. They attacked us with drones despite our help.”
• “I am not against anyone. But my 22 crore people are my priority. So, Shehbaz Sharif says that I shouldn’t have said “absolutely not”, where were you when there were attacks on the country,” he said.
• “Will foreign countries want such corrupt people in power in their states? They are ready to accept such corrupt politicians, but I am not acceptable to them,” the prime minister said, adding that foreign powers were well-aware of the properties and assets of the “corrupt” politicians and it was the “reason behind the Opposition’s readiness to follow foreign orders.”
• He said Pakistan has reached a “defining moment” in its history where it is left with only two options, adding that the nation now has to choose which path to take. “But before that, I would like to tell the nation why I joined politics,” he said.
• “I already enjoyed fame and had money due to my faith in Allah, and I was part of a generation that was born to an independent state, unlike my parents,” he said. “My parents used to tell me to be thankful as I was born into an independent state and did not have to witness the rule of the British,” said Imran Khan.
• “…I came into politics because I realised that Pakistan cannot move in the direction that Allama Iqbal and Quaid-e-Azam wanted. Pakistan’s real reason was to establish an Islamic welfare state, just like Riasat-e-Madina,” he said and added that when he started politics, he included three things in his manifesto — justice, humanity, and self-reliance.
• “People from South Korea, the Middle East, and Malaysia used to come to Pakistan to study at universities here,” he said. “But because of the corruption of political leaders, it started witnessing a decline.”
• “[To steer the country out of that decline], I want the children of this country to follow the footsteps of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).”