Pak PM Imran Khan to Address Nation on Thursday
Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan will address the nation on Thursday, the country's information minister Fawad Chaudhry said on Twitter.
"Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan's address to the nation will be telecast at 7:15 pm (local time)," he said.
'Won't Resign, Will Fight Till the Last Ball': Imran Khan
Pakistan Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan on Thursday, 31 March, said he would not resign ahead of the no-confidence vote, saying he would fight till the last ball and has never accepted defeat.
"When I played cricket for 20 years, the world and those who played cricket with me saw that I play till the last ball. I've never accepted defeat in life. Nobody should think that I will sit at home. I'll come back stronger, whatever may the result be," he said.
'Foreign Country is Working Against an Elected PM': Imran
Imran alleged that a foreign country is working against an elected PM. "The letter says that if Imran Khan remains the PM, we won't forgive Pakistan."
In a slip of the tongue, he mentioned the United States, but later moved on and stated that "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," he alleged.
PM Imran Khan said the memo was against him, not against the government.
"...it stated that if the no-confidence motion passes, Pakistan will be forgiven, if not, there will be consequences."
He stated that it was an "official letter" that was communicated to Pakistan's ambassador, who was taking notes during the meeting.
PM Imran Khan said the envoy was told that if Imran Khan remains in power, Pakistan would face "difficulties".
"Is this our standing? We are a strong nation of 220 million," he asked.
PM Imran Khan said the letter does not mention any reason and only wanted his ouster.
"...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," the premier revealed.
PM Imran Khan said the foreign official knew that the ones who would come into power after him 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.
He further said Nawaz Sharif was convicted in Pakistani courts. Attacking the Opposition, he said the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and other institutions had made cases against them.
"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.
'Only Spoke Against India When They Changed Kashmir's Status': Imran
"When India changed Kashmir’s status, only then I spoke against India. Before that I made all efforts to befriend India," Imran Khan said.
"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," he said.
'Won't Bow Down Before Anyone': Imran
He further said, "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."
"I decided the day I 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," he added.