PAT Chairman Dr Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri has said that the patriotic expatriate Pakistanis, who send $20 billion in remittances every year, should hold the rulers accountable, asking them as to why the hard-earned money they send home becomes part of the off-shore companies? He said that Pakistan needs honest and truth speaking leadership. He said that the government’s journey that started off with the tall claims to end load-shedding and break begging bowl has come down to the fake accountability of the Panama leaks. He said that asking the rulers questions about corruption is not a conspiracy against the democracy at all, adding that popular accountability will lead to legal accountability.

Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri expressed these views while addressing an organizational meeting of PAT in Midland, UK. A large number of members of the Diaspora community belonging to various walks of life attended the meeting.

Dr Qadri said that when the nations face difficult times, the rulers get the confidence of the people, brave the hard circumstances and try to overcome the crises. He said that the situation in Pakistan is direct opposite of it. He said that the rulers have spent the first three years of their tenure fooling the people and telling plain lies, adding that it explains why the present rulers have not been able to establish credibility among the masses and at international level with the result that the country is facing the consequences.

The PAT Chairman said that the rulers tell a lie and the poison of lying has permeated the entire body politic, adding that lies are spoken with abandon from contesting election to the last day of rule; the people are fed on dream of progress and prosperity. Talking about corruption, he said that the Prime Minister spoke to the nation twice in his televised addresses in which he presented himself and his family for accountability. He said that when it came to formulation of ToRs to achieve the desired purpose, he backtracked on his commitments. He asked: how can a person stay in power, who tells a lie on the floor of the parliament?

Dr Qadri said that the Finance Minister has perfectly mastered the art of telling lies. He said that he has been fooling the international donors by making claims of getting 100pc target of tax collection thereby making the space for getting more foreign loans to throw the nation into debt trap. He said that 9pc people used to give taxes during the tenure of the previous government and now this ratio has come down to 8pc during incumbency of the present government. He said that the people shy away from paying taxes to the government because they think that their money would not be spent on their welfare but on the luxuries of the government. He said that time has come that the overseas Pakistanis play their role in ridding the country of corrupt system.