PM-elect Imran Khan vows to bring change in Pakistan

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ANI Islamabad [Pakistan]
Last Updated : Aug 17 2018 | 9:10 PM IST

Pakistan Prime Minister-elect Imran Khan on Friday pledged to bring a change which according to him "the country was awaiting for last 70 decades".

"Today, I want to thank Allah who has given me this opportunity to bring change in Pakistan. The change that this nation has waited 70 years for!I promise my nation that the change we will bring, it is the change that this country was hoping and praying for," he said while addressing the Pakistan National Assembly.

Khan, after being elected as the 22nd Prime Minister of Pakistan assured to identify the people accountable for "looting the country" and bring them to justice. He said that no kind of National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) will happen for any "dacoits".

Further attacking the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) for protesting against the conviction of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief said that no matter what, they will not get an NRO.

"Those who stole this nation's money and stashed it abroad, I will InshAllah bring them all to accountability," he added. "We will together debate and think on how to generate our own revenues so that we never have to be dependent on another country," he said thanking the youth of Pakistan for supporting him.

He even took a dig at the political party for questioning the recently-concluded General election in Pakistan and said, "For all those making noise today on rigging, you are the same people who did not open up only four constituencies we asked for post-2013. And when they went to courts, they all had discrepancies."

"Why were they not investigated? Why was there no accountability of people who were responsible for massive faults in the election? If it had been done, the electoral system would have been fixed today," he added.

He even assured to bring an electoral policy where everyone will be satisfied and challenged the people, making rigging allegation to go to the courts and the election commission. "We had over 400 petitions in court. It took 2.5 years for them to be opened. We led the movement to the streets. Meanwhile those complaining have no details about where they want to claim rigging from," Khan said.

Recounting his journey of 22-year from a cricketer to a politician, Khan asserted that no "military dictator nurtured" him and he has reached this height with his own "struggle and accord."

He even evoked the first prime minister of Pakistan Muhammad Ali Jinnah Jinnah, during his addresses and said the latter struggle was the strongest.

Khan was elected as the 22nd Prime Minister of Pakistan after the newly-elected members of the National Assembly (NA) cast their vote on Friday. He won 176 seats while his opponent and chief of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Shehbaz Sharif managed to secure 96 seats, the Dawn reported.

The Prime Minister-designate will take oath at the President House in Islamabad on August 18.

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First Published: Aug 17 2018 | 9:00 PM IST

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