Imran in jail for inciting workers to violence: Kakar

DAVOS: Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar has said that former prime minister Imran Khan is not in prison on account of his political opinion but due to his purported role in inciting riots and encouraging his followers towards disruption.

He said the people involved in the riots were behind bars. “It is not that the innocent people have been picked up for their political opinions and they have been denied a political role,” he said in an interview with CNBC on the sidelines of the 54th annual meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) on Wednesday.

Kakar pointed out the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder chairman had the right to say that he was jailed because of his political opinion but let the court decide the issue. He said the matter would not be decided by any individual, media or any other group but the courts.

To a question about free and fair elections, the interim PM said before holding elections, no one could question the fairness of the process. “Let the election happen as there will be international observers, international media and other watchdogs to report whether the elections were held in a free and fair manner or not.” He expressed confidence that a stable government would be formed after elections scheduled for February 8, eventually leading to sustainable economic stability.

“I do see and project that there will be great growth in Pakistan. There will be a sense of stability. The growth will be slow but it will be sustainable,” he said. He said that the speculations regarding holding the elections, had been addressed and everyone was certain about the election date of February 8. As regards delay in elections, the caretaker prime minister said the country faced legal and technical challenges related to the electoral procedures and processes. However, he said those challenges had been addressed now and the people of Pakistan would be allowed to exercise their constitutional right of electing the leadership for the next five years. As regards the media freedom in Pakistan, the interim PM said even the Western media was under more strict regulations than that of Pakistan.

Kakar said it was the top priority of the caretaker setup to bring economic revival and to focus on growth and other economic indicators. He said the next government would have to follow a clear principle of spending less and earning more to achieve economic stability. “We need to bring back the non-documented economy into the documented economy and transform our state to a more viable economic entity,” he added.

He highlighted that the caretaker government would publish a white paper on its four to five-month performance. About the regional issues, he said Pakistan did foresee implications for the country after the withdrawal of the US and Nato forces from Afghanistan and that was why Pakistan had been advocating for a responsible withdrawal. The focus of world powers was no more Afghanistan as now it was an abandoned project for them. “But for us, it had real-time tangible implications particularly when the equipment given to the Afghan Republic Army were sold in the black market.” He feared that it might also have implications in the Middle East. Kakar said Pakistan needed to enhance its counter-terrorism capacity. “We also need to encourage Pakistan to become a viable economic entity and a viable democracy at the same time.” He said Pakistan’s role should also be acknowledged and appreciated.

To a question about Pakistan’s relations with China, he said the two countries had very close relations, both strategically and historically. He said the bilateral relations with China would not be affected, no matter what happens in the region.

Meanwhile, the caretaker prime minister called for ensuring equitable opportunities for all nations and regions to grab the fruits of modern technology. Speaking at a forum titled “Trade Tech’s Trillion-Dollar Promise” on the sideline of the WEF 54th annual meeting, he said utilising state-of-the-art technology was vital to achieve fast development. Stressing the need to ensure equitable opportunities to secure the technology, he said it was key to ensure sustainable global development.

Separately, addressing another event titled “20th Pakistan Breakfast at Davos 2024” held by Pathfinders Group on the sidelines of the WEF, Kakar said that Pakistan needed to be more competitive and attractive to facilitate industrialisation in the region. He said a trading activity of around $336 trillion trade was happening in China, and GCC countries were also entering into the manufacturing industry. He said China had acquired the transformation stage to relocate some of its industry and Pakistan might be one of those destinations. He told the gathering of intellectuals, writers and representatives of welfare organisations that Pakistan was a unique place owing to its diversified culture, geography and topography with the eight highest peaks, deserts of Thar and Balochistan and the plains of Punjab.

Calling human resources the biggest asset of Pakistan, he said 60 percent of its 240 million population was under 30 years of age which only required a direction. Referring to the ideal geographical position of the country, he said the whole of Central Asia was looking to have connectivity through Pakistan which had the highest population in the ECO region.

Lauding the role of Ikram Sehgal, he said Pakistan needed more storytellers like him and reiterated the resolve to continue partnering with the WEF and Pathfinder Group. In his remarks, Chairman of Pathfinder Group Zarrar Sehgal emphasized that Pakistan needed to tell the world that it remained an attractive place for investment. Meanwhile, the caretaker prime minister met Prime Minister of Belgium Alexander De Croo on the WEF sidelines.