Imran vows to end ‘Sharif monarchy’ through Aug 14 march

LAHORE: Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan on Sunday vowed to end what he termed is the 'Sharif family monarchy’ in the country through his party’s ‘Azadi march’ scheduled for August 14. Speaking at a PTI workers convention here, he said the sit-in will not end until a ‘new Pakistan’ is made. Khan said there was no real democracy in Pakistan but a monarchy of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. He asked the difference between monarchy and democracy and answered himself that in democracy, the head of state is accountable to the people, there is merit in democratic system and taxpayers’ money is not used by the rulers. "Now you tell me, can the Pakistani nation hold Sharif brothers accountable?" questioned the PTI chief, adding that, “What kind of democracy is this? I challenge you to bring forward any individual I have appointed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government from my family.” “Till the leaders in this country are not elected democratically, till they don’t spend taxpayers’ money on the citizens of the state, no change will come,” he said. “The time for this fake government is over, we will not rest until re-elections take place,” said Khan to a charged audience. The statement comes at a time when the ruling Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PML-N) is reportedly approaching the PTI for a negotiation prior to Imran Khan's scheduled 'million-man' march to the federal capital on August 14. Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan has denied any meeting with Imran, while the PTI chief has said there is "no room" for any agreement with the government. Imran called on country-wide supporters to march to Islamabad in protests of the government's alleged rigging of four key constituencies that the PTI chief says were won fraudulently by the PML-N. The PTI chief alleged that the Sharif family was involved in corruption and blamed them for stealing taxpayers’ money. “Hyde Park flat of Nawaz Sharif’s son is worth Rs7 billion while Mayfair apartment is of Rs5 billion … where did you get this money from, Mian sahib?” he questioned. “I am a taxpayer, I am asking you 20 years ago you had nothing. Where did all this money and property come from?”