‘Why turn down $5 bn if aim was to loot, plunder’

LAHORE: Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif said on Monday that if he were corrupt, he would have taken then US president Bill Clinton’s $5 billion offer to refrain from conducting nuclear tests in 1998.Nawaz Sharif was addressing a ceremony held to commemorate 20th anniversary of nuclear tests of Pakistan.

The former premier alleged that Bill Clinton offered him $5 billion to stop the nuclear tests. “If I were corrupt and not a patriot, I would have said that bring me the money,” said Nawaz.

He said that 'dictator' Pervez Musharraf bowed down on a single phone call, whereas an elected prime minister remained steadfast.

Nawaz said that then British leaders and other international leaders also asked him not to proceed with the tests. He said that eight months after, Indian prime minister visited Pakistan.

“If we had not conducted nuclear tests, the Indian PM wouldn’t have visited,” said Nawaz.

The former prime minister said that Pakistan is an atomic power and no one can treat it with bad intentions.

Faisal Kamal Pasha adds from Islamabad: Nawaz Sharif said while talking to reporters inside the Accountability Court that the PML-N’s narrative will prevail as there is no other option for this country to progress.

He said that whatever has been made or developed in this country is by the PML-N and no other political party has done anything that they could showcase for general elections 2018. He said other parties don’t have any big project to show. He said the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan should let the public know that what project his party completed in KP in terms of infrastructure, social development, economic development and electricity etc.

Nawaz suggested the reporters to ask Maulana Fazlur Rehman to tell that how speedily Zhob-Hakla Motorway is getting completed that will join Burhan.

“In total, we got almost two years to work. First we were kept busy in handling dharna protests in 2014 and by the end of that year we started work. In 2016, there was Panama and once again we were detracted from the path of progress. Had we given full five years to work, we could have done many more things that we didn’t,” Nawaz said.

In such a short time, he said, the PML-N restored peace to Balochistan and restored peace to Karachi where there was a culture of dead bodies to be found in the sacks and extortion as well.

“Before PML-N there used to be 22 hours loadshedding. We solved the problem and now electricity is being provided despite the fact that the hydel is not working at its full capacity due to shortage of water. In this holy month of Ramazan, people are being provided with uninterrupted electricity,” Nawaz claimed.

The former premier said that Iqama case is as ridiculous as was the case of hijacking formed against him in 1999 and for the similar reasons too.

“Our nation didn’t accept the cases at that time and it is not ready to accept it now as well. People wonder how these cases could be tried,” he said.

Commenting on the nominated caretaker chief minister for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Manzoor Afridi, Nawaz said it is highest form of nepotism (Andha Bantey Rewryan…..Mur Mur Apnon Ko De).

“They are going to make a person caretaker chief minister who is real brother of a PTI senator. It’s like keeping everything at their own home,” he said

He inquired from a reporter that how much pressure is there on media these days. Then he started reading a BBC article according to which a prominent English language newspaper is facing hardships to survive.