Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday admitted that the government made a mistake by allowing PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif to travel abroad for medical treatment.

He expressed these views while addressing a public meeting in Mandi Bahauddin that was packed with PTI supporters. During his fiery speech, the prime minister also launched a scathing attack against the opposition and vowed to not let them off the hook until they returned the country’s looted wealth.

“First it was one disease, then another, then platelets,” he said referring to Nawaz’s supposed ailments, adding that the government was under the impression that he would not survive for long. “I accept we made a big mistake by allowing him [Nawaz] to travel abroad.”

He noted that the PML-N supremo used to visit Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in the past and ask the PTI where the ‘Naya KP’ was. “In the 2018 election, the province — which never gives anyone a second chance — elected PTI on a two-third majority.”

Referring to the opposition as a “gang of thieves”, the premier also lashed out at Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman. He said that the JUI-F chief was gathering the opposition and after every three months called for toppling the PTI government.

“The biggest reason for this is that after 30 years the country’s assembly is functioning without diesel. It is running on solar [power],” he said, referring to the fact that the Maulana was not part of the National Assembly.

He claimed that the opposition was afraid, adding that the JUI-F chief was urging the opposition to oust the PTI government as he sensed that it would come into power once again in 2023.