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Friday March 29, 2024

PM calls for negotiated settlement of Kashmir issue

By INP
February 16, 2018

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi asked India to enter into dialogue for the resolution of Kashmir issue, keeping in view the spirit of the relevant UN resolutions.

It will be in the interest of the two countries to seek negotiated settlement of the lingering dispute. Stating that the violation of the ceasefire agreement further damaging their bilateral relations, the PM said and added that the people of Pakistan and the armed forces are fully capable to defend the motherland.

“India is continuously violating the ceasefire at LoC and targeting the innocent civilians to which Pakistan army was giving effective response,” the prime minister said in an exclusive interview with INP here on Thursday.

Regarding Afghanistan, he said Pakistan’s position is very clear that the issue can be resolved through dialogue and not war. He reiterated that Pakistan would continue to play its role in seeking peaceful settlement of Afghan issue and said that Kabul government cannot hold Pakistan responsible for its own failure.

The prime minister categorically stated that there is no confrontation among the institutions as the constitution has clearly provided the power of every institution.

He said the Election Commission should seriously look into the horse trading attempts in the Senate elections. He said the PML-N is neither involved in any such act nor it supports the horse trading. Without naming PPP, the prime minister said how a party having not a single MPA in a province was talking of getting its nominated people elected as Senator. He said those elected through horse trading can’t be representative of the people. Answering a question Shahid Khaqan Abbasi said Senate new chairman would be nominated after consultation in the party.

He said leader of the opposition Syed Khursheed Shah would be consulted about caretaker prime minister at an appropriate time. He however welcomed the statement by Syed Khursheed Shah that the caretaker prime minister should be a spotless person having ability to organise transparent elections. Regarding placing Pakistan on terror financing watch list, he said a meeting to discuss the matter will be held on 20th February and all aspects would be considered. He said Pakistan is keeping the international community aware about ground realities.

He said LNG is a mega project which helped ending energy crisis in Pakistan but certain political opponents were levelling baseless allegations to keep them alive in the media.

He said surplus electricity is available in the country and the promise of Nawaz Sharif to end the power crisis is being fulfilled. He said there is also no major issue about transmission lines but the real problem is electricity theft. He said federation and provinces must cooperate to bring an end to loadshedding.

The prime minister said there is 40 percent theft of electricity in Sukkur, Peshawar, Hyderabad and Quetta power distribution companies. He said there was less ratio of theft in electricity when there was ten hours of loadshedding but this has doubled now.

To a question about suggestions given to the former prime minister to go to Lahore through the Motorway after his disqualification, Shahid Khaqan Abbasi said the remarks were given by Mian Nawaz Sharif in a lighter vein and did not name any one. He said decisions are taken with consensus in the party and every one accepts that. He said first it was decided that he would proceed through motorway and later the leadership reviewed this decision and every one accepted it. Regarding NAB letter, the prime minister said it was for the Ministry of Interior to decide on placing the names of Nawaz Sharif, Maryam Nawaz and Capt (r) Safdar on the ECL.