Asma Jahangir conference: No foreign investment until political course corrected: Abbasi

LAHORE: Former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi said on Sunday that issues of the country could not be fixed and no foreign investment could be brought until the course of politics was corrected.

Speaking at the Asma Jahangir Conference here, he said economies hit by a political turmoil remain always week. In such circumstances, neither price reduction nor foreign investment was possible. He claimed that relief to the public in the present conditions was out of the question.

The former premier said that going to the IMF again and again was an indicator of Pakistan government’s failure. He said the country needed a credible justice system, adding that unless the country was truly governed under the law, the situation would not improve. “We have been a failure at every economic forum, as the system was being run through loans.” He added that the “IMF was, in fact, the ICU for us and we are admitting ourselves to it for the 24th time.”

Shahid Khaqan said through the IMF deals, growth was stopped and inflation increased, adding that only claims could not save the national economy. How could the industrial growth take place in this situation, asked Abbasi, who served as the prime minister between 2017 to 2018. He said, “We distributed flour and in its distribution, at least 40 per cent corruption was committed.”

Shahid Khaqan also said it was unfortunate that the country had not been able to produce a commodity from a single US dollar that had been exported. “More than the burden of foreign loans, we seem to be facing a greater challenge in the form of internal loans,” Abbasi regretted. He said it had been heard that the IMF would release the target-based funds this year.

Former chairman Senate Farooq H Naek, addressing the conference, said political leaders could speak up, fight for systematic justice, stay connected to social movements, stand up against discrimination in order to safeguard civil and political rights. He urged the need for dialogue with all stakeholders when it was related to national interests.

Renowned lawyer Yasin Azad told the conference participants it was time to stop begging from the IMF. He said Pakistan was not an independent country “because we, as a nation, are under heavy IMF loans burden.”

He also urged the institutions to work in their constitutional ambit. He added that the role of all institutions was defined and they should not exceed their constitutional limits.

Head of Balochistan National Party and member of National Assembly Sardar Akhter Jan Mengal has said the country seems to be under a ‘veiled’ martial law.

Speaking at the Asma Jehangir Conference, Sardar Akhter Mengal said that the topic of the conference was related to the significance of dialogue with nationalist parties. He added this had been a very old topic but nothing had been done practically in this regard.

Mengal stated that every party in Pakistan was now a nationalist party. Citing the example of PMLN, he said if someone believed that it was a federation party, he would not agree to it because it was the one that chanted the slogan of ‘Jag Punjabi Jag’.

Similarly, he said that PPP under Asif Ali Zardari showed a different stance while in power whereas at critical times, it had a different position.

Regarding PTI, he said the statement of CM KP Ali Amin Gandapur of waging a war against Islamabad also showed that this party had a ‘nationalistic’ approach, which meant that there had been no Federation party at the moment but all were nationalists.

Mengal added the people had lost hope in the parliament, judiciary and political parties in Pakistan because of the actions of those who don’t believe in the Constitution.

Akhter Mengal went on to say that apparently there was no dictatorship or martial law in the country but in reality, there was a ‘veiled’ martial law wrapped in green flag and pages of the Constitution. Confidence building measures are necessary for a meaningful dialogue, he added.