Lahore: Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan said on Sunday that he did not join politics to check the prices of 'aloo and tamatar', as he attacked the Opposition parties for tabling a no-confidence motion against him in Parliament, accusing him of mismanaging the economy amidst spiralling inflation. Addressing a political rally in Hafizabad city in Punjab province, Khan said the nation would stand against elements trying to topple his government through buying the conscience of the (lawmakers) using money. He said Pakistan was going to become a great country in the remainder of his term, adding that the incentives announced by his government would yield results soon.
The 69-year-old cricketer-turned-politician said that 25 years ago, he decided to join politics for the sake of the country's youth, adding that he had no personal gains from doing so as he already had everything in life that a person could dream of. "I didn't join politics to know the prices of 'aloo and tamatar' (potatoes and tomatoes). I joined it for the sake of the country's youth", Khan, also chairman of the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, said.
"If we want to become a great nation, we will have to support the truth, and this is what I have been preaching for the last 25 years," Khan said. Pakistan's general inflation measured by Consumer Price Index (CPI) clocked in at a 24-month peak of 13 per cent in January as prices of almost all commodities and utilities maintained a growing trend. The sectors that posted double-digit growth in prices when compared to the same month of last year included perishable and non-perishable food items, energy, transportation, clothing and health, the Dawn newspaper reported last month. This is the highest CPI inflation since January 2020 when it was 14.6 per cent, it said.