Zardari, Nawaz disappointed their voters: Imran Khan

Islamabad, March 25 (IANS) Pakistani cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan has said the country honoured President Asif Ali Zardari and former prime minister Nawaz Sharif but they disappointed their voters in return, Geo News reported.

Addressing a public gathering Saturday in Punjab's Mianwali district, the Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI) chief said it was time the "usurpers of national wealth" were made publicly accountable, according to Geo News.

Khan said the country needed to break itself from foreign grip.

"First of all, Pakistan must break the 'foreign shackles' to become a free country," Imran Khan said adding that his party would transform Pakistan into a country envisioned by Pakistan founder Muhammad Ali Jinnah.

Condemning rising inflation, he said the epicurean rulers have starved the masses of the country with their record corruption in the last four years.

"The nation could neither make both ends meet nor could they find any self-respect under the unholy alliance ruling the country," he said.

Commenting on Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, Khan said he (Gilani) would rather faint before writing to Swiss government for he was his master's true voice without any doubt.

Pakistan's apex court had warned the government of action if its ruling on the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO), which granted immunity to politicians and bureaucrats in corruption cases, was not implemented by Jan 10, 2012.

The court had sought reopening of cases closed under the NRO, struck down as void in 2009. It had ordered the government to write a letter to the Swiss authorities to reopen cases against President Asif Ali Zardari.

On March 21, Gilani's counsel told the Supreme Court that the government could not write to Swiss authorities on a corruption case against Zardari as long as he was president.