LAHORE/JARANWALA: Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi Saturday expressed his confidence that the democratic system in the country would continue to thrive and that there was no possibility of judicial martial law or any other coup.
“Next elections will be held in July in which people will elect their new government and the course of development and prosperity will continue,” he told the inauguration ceremonies of first CCV line and aluminum alloy manufacturing plant in the Sundar Industrial Estate in Lahore and Rai Mansab Ali Khan Kharal Bridge near Jaranwala.
The prime minister regretted that after 1999 take-over, a case was registered against PML-N supreme leader Nawaz Sharif for establishment of Sundar Industrial Estate. He said it was irony that those who served the country were punished. “Those who served the country deserve respect,” he said.
The prime minister expressed wonder that those who had been sent packing in the last general elections by public were preaching morality and integrity.
He said the PML-N always stood guard to the democratic system, facing all conspiracies and dharna-driven politics during the last five years. He said the government delivered despite all odds and challenges. “Some specific legal cases including Panama Papers eventually caused instability in the country, otherwise it would have been on the path of rapid progress,” he said, calling upon the voters to understand the motives of all these cases.
Over the Supreme Court’s verdict which led to Nawaz Sharif’s disqualification as president of PML-N, the prime minister said that after the apex court verdict, the party elected Nawaz Sharif as its ‘Quaid’ and Shehbaz Sharif as president. He said Nawaz Sharif’s opinion holds considerable value in all party decisions.
The prime minister said it was his conviction that the history would not accept such cases and referred to the one decision in Zulfikar Ali Bhutto’s case which had never been accepted.
Dismissing the chatter about Nawaz Sharif going to jail as mere speculation, the prime minister said, “Nawaz has been to prison before. He can give party policy from prison as well. People have won elections while being in prison.” Nawaz managed to run the party even from abroad during the tenure of former president General (r) Pervez Musharraf, he added.
The prime minister said several opportunities did emerge in the past but the party religiously stood steadfast to democratic norms and did not make compromises like NRO. “We stood for democratic norms. No one should doubt the decision of the masses. Only through it, the country can progress. Masses will decide again in July this year,” he said.
He said the PML-N politics revolved around resolution of public issues instead of stuffing pockets with money, adding the opponents levelled different allegations against the party government but the completion of development projects repudiated their false claims.
Expressing his concerns over the election of Senate chairman, the prime minister said votes were purchased. “Whether the country could earn respect through such tactics,” he wondered.
He said such election did not enjoy any respect, adding that there was need to elect a consensus candidate as the Senate reflected the Federation.
The prime minister said the PML-N government faced energy and power challenges and the backlog of the previous governments. He said the government had performed well during the last five years and resolved the energy issues for the next 15 years. Despite limited resources, about 1700kms six-lane motorway network was being completed, he said, and expressed his resolve to serve the country with the limited resources.
The prime minister said Pakistan had a huge potential to increase its exports by adhering to the global quality standards. The government had taken steps for facilitating the private sector investment with different incentives which led to increase in the business activities and eventually boosted the exports, he said. The investment activities paved the ways for creation of jobs and generation of tax revenues, he added.
He announced that tax incentives package would be announced prior to the next fiscal budget. He said the government was striving to achieve a balance in import and export through short- and long-term policies. He said that the government wanted to further strengthen the investment policies by seeking input from the opposition.
About power situation, the prime minister said there was no load shedding in the country and only those areas with power theft had to endure it. He said 85 per cent bill-paying consumers could not be burdened for the theft of others.
Published in Daily Times, March 25th 2018.
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