PM vows no NRO for anyone

Prime Minister Imran Khan has said that giving an NRO (National Reconciliation Ordinance) to anyone will be equivalent to treason.
Addressing a ceremony of the launch of the spring tree plantation campaign in Balloki, the prime minister once again refuted reports regarding giving an NRO and asserted: “No will get an NRO.”
“Those who are speculating that we will give NRO to anyone should understand that it will be equivalent to treason and disloyalty to the country,” Khan added.
The prime minister explained “NRO is forgiving very big suspects. Two NROs destroyed the country and our current circumstances are owing to that.”
“One NRO was given by General (retired) Pervez Musharraf to Nawaz Sharif. A case was ready against the Sharif brothers pertaining to the Hudaibiya Paper Mills and Ishaq Dar’s confessional statement regarding how money laundering was done was also present.
“However, to save his own seat, Musharraf gave Nawaz an NRO and let him leave for Saudi Arabia,” the premier stated.
“On the other hand, Rs2bn from the national exchequer were spent on Asif Zardari’s Swiss case, and there was a Surrey Mansion case in London, which the Pakistan government won and the country was to get the money, however, an NRO was signed and that case was closed.”
The premier continued: “These two NROs gave the powerful the impression that theft is no big deal, and no matter how much you steal, the powerful thieves are not caught in Pakistan.”
“The result of this was that from 2008 to 2018, two leaders who were given NROs governed for five years each. In 2008, Pakistan’s debt stood at Rs6tn but after the terms of the two leaders, it rose to Rs30tn as they had no fear,” he added.
Khan further said: “Owing to these two NROs, the nation is suffering today, the prices of commodities have increased, and the value of rupee has fallen.
“When you take loans and leave historic debts, then the nation will have to pay.”
“Today, I see on TV the faces of those who increased our debts, questioning what we have done in the last five months. They are the ones who left us in debt and are asking us for answers,” the prime minister stated.
Questioning how the previous leaders have the audacity to say that they “did good work”, Khan stressed: “We will not leave anyone who made the country bankrupt.”
“We are asking those for accountability, who destroyed the country. This is tabdeeli (change),” he added.
Firing a broadside at Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PML-N) president Shehbaz Sharif, Khan said: “In this history of democracy, it has never happened that a man becomes the chairman of the Public Accounts Committee from jail, and then summons the accountability watchdog (the National Accountability Bureau) which is probing him.”
“Now, no favours will be given to corrupt people,” the prime minister stressed.
Khan was in Balloki, Nankana Sahib, to launch the “10 Billion Tree Plantation Drive”, where he planted a sapling at the forest reserve.
He was also briefed about the tree plantation campaign.
Speaking on the occasion, the prime minister directed that forest land given on lease in Punjab should be retrieved.
“Forest cover in Pakistan is already very low as compared to other countries in the region,” Khan lamented.
Pointing out that there used to be thick forests in Chicawatni, Mianwali, and Changa Manga, the prime minister urged: “Forests should be protected at any cost.”
“Seventy per cent of Pakistan’s forests have been cut down in the past few years, and this has created an imbalance in our environment,” the premier said. “We are now going to allow builders to build higher buildings, just so our cities stop expanding and encroaching on our forests,” he added.
“Ten billion trees will be planted in five years. Pakistan is the most affected due to climate change, and the entire country will be made clean and green,” the premier stated.
Khan further announced that his government will create a wildlife reserve park under Baba Guru Nanak’s name, and that a Baba Guru Nanak university will be built in Nankana Sahib.
Earlier, the prime minister took to Twitter, writing: “We are launching our #Plant4Pakistan programme and reclaiming mafia encroached land, converting it into forests and wild life parks for our future generations to fight climate change and pollution.”