FAISALABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Salman Akram Raja has said that the current assembly is an "assembly of plunderers" and the government is one of "oppressors". "Imran Khan will not compromise on injustices and the rulers will have to back down from their stance. They will have to admit that they are standing on the oppressive side and on the theft of elections. Only then can there be any talks," he said.
Speaking at a labour conference organised by the Labour Qaumi Movement and later talking to the media, Raja said the struggle for justice for the PTI founder would continue, adding: "We have again filed a contempt of court petition." He said no report will come out from the committee formed to investigate the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) incident. "This is just an attempt to suppress the matter."
Raja further said that electricity prices in Pakistan were higher than any other country in the entire region. "The Independent Power Producer (Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party (IPP)) agreements were a plan to make the rich richer. Trillions of rupees are being taken out of the pockets of the people. The burden of taxes is being increased in the name of petroleum development levy, while oil marketing companies earned Rs19 billion in a week," the PTI leader said.
He added that creating new provinces would not solve problems. "The real issue is respect for people's votes. The public's preferred representatives are not being allowed to come forward. Imran Khan's fault is that he does not want to become part of the powerful elite. He is fighting the case of the people," he said.
Raja also said there were "two systems" in the country - one for the rich and another for the poor. "The poor do not even have access to basic health and education facilities. The newborns who died at PIMS were from poor families. The children of the rich are not born in such hospitals," he added.
He said PTI will fight for the rights of workers and farmers on every forum, and their voice will be raised in the Punjab Assembly, National Assembly, and Senate. "We reject all the oppressive Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party (IPP) agreements. Workers, farmers, and the poor must unite and raise their voice for their rights. PTI will stand with them on every forum," he concluded.