PPP returning to politics of 90s: PM

ASHGABAT: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said on Saturday the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) was returning to the politics of the Nineties as he asserted that a political party would push the country backward.

He said that June 2006 Charter of Democracy (CoD) signed between the Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) was ‘not working.’ He advised the PPP not to return to the politics of early Nineties since it would take the country on the backward trajectory. The warning came from him on Saturday in the course of an informal chat with the newsmen accompanying him to the trip to Turkmenistan at the breakfast table.

He didn’t name any political party and didn’t opt to mention his arch rival, the PTI, in the whole discussion. His target was the PPP that kept resorting to the politics of leg-pulling and intrigues of the Nineties.

The prime minister said that Pakistan had suffered uneven circumstances in its 70 years and “we must not allow it for the next seventy years to lead in the same fashion. The way things have been steered in these years couldn’t work and we should not allow perpetuation of the same.”

He recalled that after his return from forced exile, his party decided to contest the polls though his and his brother Shahbaz Sharif’s nomination papers for the polls were rejected. “We were not allowed to contest the elections through disqualification.” The whole caretaker set-up was installed by Pervez Musharraf who had placed his handpicked people everywhere. Musharraf and his King’s party under the banner of PML-Q managed the episode of elections. Despite the odds, the PML-N decided to contest the elections and accepted the outcome of the exercise.

“We didn’t cry even our hands were tightened and the most popular party’s leadership was rendered disqualified. It was kept outside the fray. We decided after consultations with likeminded parties that we wouldn’t do anything that could harm the process of democracy and cause its derailment. I was asked by the TV channels repeatedly about quitting the elected houses. We didn’t try to destablise the government,” Nawaz Sharif added.

He said, “I made it clear that we would respect the mandate and people have not voted us to submit resignations. We were elected by the people for not submitting resignations. We rightfully struggled for restoration of the judiciary for the sake of preservation of justice.”

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said, “We wholeheartedly accepted the polls of the 2013 general elections. The PML-N could bring its own Chief Minister in Balochistan but we provided an opportunity to another party for the slot. We could form the government in KP but we didn’t create hurdles for the PTI to have its government and likewise we facilitated the PPP to establish its government in Sindh. We provided support throughout to the PPP’s provincial government in Sindh and it can be verified from Qaim Ali Shah who served most of the time as the CM in Sindh with whom I had excellent relations.” Nawaz Sharif didn’t refer to new chief minister of Sindh. Without mentioning the name of the PPP, Prime Minister Nawaz regretted that another party was again reverting to the politics of 90s. Nawaz Sharif also discussed the attitude and role of the electronic media and said that it must help the nation in returning to calm. The agitation mongering wouldn’t help the country and its people in any manner. He said that there should be a time when they must disseminate harmony and affection. “We must help out people to avail themselves of progress and prosperity as they aren’t destined to be victims of rhetoric all the time,” the prime minister said.