TIME TO CHANGE PAK’S DESTINY, SAYS IMRAN IN FIRST ADDRESS
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan said on Sunday he had spoken with the country’s neighbours to improve bilateral relations, as he delivered his maiden address to the nation that called for “peace in the region” and focused on a range of issues from corruption to reforms.
It was time to change Pakistan’s destiny, Khan said, adding that there was a need to “improve the country’s situation” after he unveiled his 21-member cabinet. He lashed out at the previous PML-N government for the current debt crisis, saying the country had not been as indebted in its entire history as it has been in the last 10 years. “God says that I do not change the destiny of those who do not wish to change themselves. We need to pay heed… This is the time that we decide to change our destiny,” Khan said in the televised address.
› I have spoken to all of Pak’s neighbours... There is a need for peace and without it, we cannot improve our situation. IMRAN KHAN, Pakistan PM
“We need to be compassionate towards our compatriots: to those who cannot afford to eat twice a day. We need to ask what will happen to the 25 million children out of school. We need to ask what happens to our population. We need to ask how we are to grapple with climate change,” he added.
Most of the members of Khan’s newly announced cabinet have held key posts in the regime of former dictator General (retd) Pervez Musharraf. Out of the 21 names announced, 16 will be ministers while five others will advisers to Khan, a Pakistan Tehreeke-Insaf (PTI) spokesperson said. The cabinet is expected to take oath on Monday at the President’s House.
“I have spoken to all of Pakistan’s neighbours in order to improve relations with them. There is a need for peace and without it, we cannot improve Pakistan’s situation,” Khan said.
He called upon the people of Pakistan to team up with his government to eradicate poverty, improve healthcare system and provide proper nutrition to children.
The Pakistani premier also pointed out the difference between the growing lifestyles of the rich and the poor, and hinted that he would adopt an austere style of governance.