Days of martial law over, no room for technocrat set-up: Saad

LAHORE: Railways Minister Khawaja Saad Rafique on Wednesday said no verdict other than that of the people would be accepted, adding that change could only come through the power of vote.

Addressing a ceremony at the Lahore Railway Station, the minister said there was no room for any technocrat government in the country and the days of martial law were over. He said disqualification from the courts and martial law couldn’t separate politicians from the masses. “Those who are happy over Nawaz Sharif's disqualification will regret later,” he said, adding that even the PML-N did not want the ‘player’ [Imran Khan] to be disqualified by the courts.

Only the people’s decision would be honoured, Saad said, adding, “The future of the country is linked to democracy.” He noted that a positive change in Pakistan would come only through vote, not by any other means. The minister also feared that Pakistan would be in reverse gear if the people’s mandate wasn’t accepted. “Vote must be respected by accepting the authority of elected representatives,” he demanded and added that the government wasn’t fighting against any institution as it wanted to avoid chaos in the country.

Saad said the people would not allow Pakistan to become a country like Yemen, Syria, Egypt or Afghanistan. “We wouldn’t let international powers to succeed in their nefarious designs.” “Pakistan came into being through a long democratic process and with the power of vote. The country will be run only with the power of vote,” he added.

Saad also ‘thanked’ the 'conspirators' who had conspired against the former prime minister, saying Nawaz had become even more popular after his disqualification. On the occasion, the railways minister also highlighted the performance of the railways during the last four years. “Pakistan Railways’ profit has crossed Rs400 million. Railways is being managed without any single penny of foreign funding and a massive improvement is going on in the department,” he noted. The turnover profit of Railways would be between Rs50 to Rs53 billion, he added.