PML-N finalises strategy: SC decision will be respected, says Nawaz

ISLAMABAD: Chairing a high echelon consultative meeting at the Prime Minister’s House on Friday, Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif said he would respect the Supreme Court’s decision in the PanamaLeaks case and use all legal and constitutional steps to defend himself if the decision came against him.

Discarding any possibility of stepping down from the office in the wake of allegation-mongering by the opposition and disgruntled politicians, he made it clear yet another time that a few people were out to subvert the government’s ongoing efforts for the well-being of the masses and the country.

Nawaz said the government would fulfill its commitments made with the nation pertaining to development, including elimination of terrorism and loadshedding, building of the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), establishment of state-of-the-art infrastructure for communication, enhancing opportunities of employment and provision of best health and education facilities for the people.

The informal huddle that lasted for about three hours was also attended by Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, Ms. Maryam Nawaz Sharif, Speaker National Assembly Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, Finance Minister Senator Muhammad Ishaq Dar, Ahsan Iqbal, Zahid Hamid, Khawaja Muhammad Asif, Khawaja Saad Rafiq, Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Barrister Zafarullah Khan, Dr Syed Asif Saeed Kirmani, Irfan Siddiqui, Miftah Ismail, Rana Tanweer Hussain, Engineer
Khurram Dastgir Khan, Ms. Anusha Rehman Ahmad Khan and Dr. Tariq Fazal Chaudhary.

The overall political situation prevailing in the country and proceedings of the Panama implementation bench of the Supreme Court came under discussion.

The proceedings were completed earlier in the day. Highly-placed sources told The News that the meeting expressed satisfaction over the job done by the government’s legal team and expressed the hope that the apex court would make a judgment based on justice. The participants expressed full confidence in the leadership of the prime minister and vowed to continue to serve the country under his leadership.

Nawaz will leave for a three-day trip of the Maldives on Tuesday (July 25). Meanwhile, Chief of Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PMAP) Mahmood Khan Achakzai, MNA, met with the prime minister separately and discussed with him development projects of Balochistan and political subjects of national interest.

Achakzai said people of the country, including Balochistan, were extremely satisfied with the working of the democratic government and expressed the hope that they would stand by the democratic dispensation under Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.

He assured the prime minster that all democratic forces and sensible segments of the society would stand by Nawaz Sharif in his struggle for making a strong and prosperous Pakistan.

Earlier, chairing a meeting on matters pertaining to civil aviation, Nawaz directed fast-track improvements in service delivery for passengers using national airports.

“The facilities shall be on a par with the major international airports in the world,” said the prime minister.

Adviser to the Prime Minister on Aviation Sardar Mehtab Ahmed Khan Abbasi and DG Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) Air Marshal Sulaiman Aasim briefed the prime minister on various ongoing projects, particularly the New Islamabad International Airport. The airport will be operational next month on the Independence Day and it is likely that the prime minister will inaugurate the state-of-the-art airport.