Most Pakistanis disagree with Nawaz’s ouster by SC: PM

LONDON: Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi has said that most of Pakistanis do not agree with Nawaz Sharif’s disqualification by the Supreme Court of Pakistan on the basis of "Iqama".

The prime minister was speaking at the “Future of Pakistan 2017" conference held here on Saturday by the London School of Economics South Asia Centre, where he gave a comprehensive view on Pakistan’s current issues, including disqualification of Nawaz Sharif, progress made in the last four years and the civil-military relations. Abbasi also answered questions of students at the end of his 35 minutes long speech. 

The prime minister said  there was upheaval in Pakistan when Nawaz Sharif was ousted but then there was a transition and now it’s the focus of the PML-N government to provide transition to free and fair elections in mid-2018.

Abbasi  said the PML-N accepted the decision made by the Supreme Court in Nawaz Sharif’s case but it has been left to history to make its own verdict on whether the decision was right or wrong.

The prime minister said the civil-military relations in Pakistan are not perfect but these relations are not perfect anywhere in the world. “Civil-military relations are evolving, military has understanding of the issues and it’s up to both the civilian and the military leaderships to resolve the problem areas. These relations are improving and moving in the right direction. It is a process and there is no short-cut and no
miracles can be achieved overnight.”

He said the energy crisis was Pakistan’s biggest challenge when the PML-N came into power in 2013 but that issue has been resolved.  He said until the issue of Indian Held Kashmir is resolved, Pak-India relations will remain tense. “But war is not an option,” he said.

He said the  US-Pak relationship should not be defined by Afghanistan alone as it is a relationship between two peoples and a long history of military relationship. The premier said there is not a single Afghan post on Pak-Afghan border which means that nearly 700km long border has been turned into safe haven for terrorists, smugglers and mafias. He said this issue needs to be resolved and Pakistan alone should not be expected to deliver.

Abbasi said that many people believe that terror emanates from Pakistan which is a completely wrong perception. He explained that Pakistan has given sacrifice of thousands of its people and members of the armed forces. He said a quarter of Pakistan Army is engaged in the war against terrorism and it has succeeded where the international military coalition has failed to deliver.

 The prime minister presented a positive picture of Pakistan’s economy and said there has been a marked improvement in every economic area since 2013. He said the debt has gone up “but one needs to look at its application, most debt has been taken to fund growth and infrastructure which resulted in 5.6 GDP growth this year”. He said the PML-N government is managing the challenge of debt.

He said only four years ago the issue of loadshedding looked irresolvable but only in four years tremendous strides have been made and this issue has been almost completely dealt with. 

The prime minister arrived in London on Friday afternoon and met with Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif for an hour and discussed important political matters. 

At the end of the LSE event, Abbasi spoke to the Pakistani media and said  there is no rift in the PML-N and chances of forward bloc in the party are zero. He said  his meetings with Sharif brothers in London were part of a routine. He said Pakistani constitution doesn’t allow government of technocrats and it was not possible. He said  Finance Minister Ishaq Dar wil return to Pakistan upon the completion of his medical treatment.

Abbasi was also in London on the last weekend for an important meeting which was chaired by PML-N President Nawaz Sharif.