Imran Khan promises ruthless accountability

LAHORE: Prime Minister Imran Khan has said the government would ensure across the board accountability of the corrupt, while blackmailing and protests could not deter him from the hunt. In his first press conference as Prime Minister at the Chief Minister’s Secretariat here on Sunday, he said drives against corruption did not succeed in the past as these targeted the opposition only, adding the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) was conducting across the board accountability as he was also summoned in the KPK government helicop- ter case. Responding to political victimisation allegations by the opposition, the premier said Shahbaz Sharif was arrested in a reference which was filed almost 10 months ago by the NAB, adding Sharif should have been arrested a lot earlier, acknowledging he was rather flustered when the chairman of NAB had decided to put off all investigations against Sharif before the general elections 2018. About the press conference against Sharif ’s arrest, he said birds of a feather had got together for fear of their own crimes, adding many of those, who sat in the press confer- ence to show solidarity with Sharif, would be behind the bars soon as the FIA had got valid proofs of their corruption. Khan said he would not spare any corrupt, adding no National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) was possible under him. If a cricketer committed ball-tampering, would the punishment be deferred till the end of the series, he questioned. “The PML-N was free to protest on roads and in the assembly and I may arrange a container for them if they like so”, the premier said, adding no blackmailing could save the corrupt.