Imran claims someone else pulled strings of power during his tenure

LAHORE: Former Pakistan prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan claimed on Wednesday that someone else pulled the strings of power during his tenure and that he was all but a figurehead, the media reported.

He said had he been given control of even half of his due power, he would have even defeated a formidable commander as Sher Shah Suri, Samaa TV reported.

He made this admission while talking to a select group from the media in Lahore on Wednesday.

He reiterated his claim that the society could flourish if there was true rule of law.

Earlier while addressing the doctors convention and an Insaf Students Federation (ISF) convention in Lahore, the former prime minister said that those who have been stealing the state's resources for the past three decades have been repeatedly let off the hook through National Reconciliation Ordinances (NROs).

The young generation has received nothing through the corrupt system of the country, he said.

He further claimed that during his tenure, the country saw record exports. But now, the public has stopped filing income tax returns while they preferred to send their money abroad, contributing to a falling exchange rate between the rupee and the US dollar.

The industries are closed and the economy is in a fragile state, he said, Samaa TV reported.

He said that due to external conspiracy, a cabal of thieves has been set on the nation.

"I am giving a call for the 'true independence' march as Pakistan is facing the worst situation and thieves are stealing the nation's resources," he said, adding he owns no assets outside of Pakistan.