We respect Babas, but they too should act like Babas: Saad

LAHORE: Railways Minister Khawaja Saad Rafique on Monday said the fate of Pakistan would not be decided by a few individuals but the 220 million people at the ballot.

“We reserve the right to express our personal views about certain court judgments. The ruling against Nawaz Sharif has shaken the foundations of democracy to its core,” the PML-N senior leader told the media after a meeting with PML-N President Nawaz Sharif.

The people of Pakistan decided thrice to choose Nawaz to lead them and a mockery of the decision was made each time, Saad said, adding, “This practice needs to stop.” He said the sit-in politics would not allow Pakistan to progress. Change would definitely come in Pakistan but only through the power of vote, Saad, said, adding, “We have wasted decades after decades, let’s not waste any more.” The minister, using the metaphor ‘Baba’ (elder) used for Judges by Chief Justice Saqib Nisar, said his party respected the judiciary and considered them among the wisest in the society, “but if the Babas (elders) demand utmost honour and respect, they should act like elders and command that respect”.

He, however, said, “The PML-N views the judiciary with highest possible respect” and added that Pakistan had many capable judges. Saad criticised the media for propagating a false narrative that PML-N was on a collision course with the judiciary and other institutions of the country and said his party did not believe in politics of confrontation.

“One this birthday of Quaid-e-Azam, we need to look back and learn from our mistakes. We lost East Pakistan, but as it appears, no institution including the politicians, has learnt any lesson from that unfortunate incident as we are all still consumed in confronting each other.”

He said disputes would settle Pakistan’s issues and urged political opponents to stop practicing acts like these. The federal minister called for sanity to prevail after such harsh lessons from history and stressed that democracy should be allowed to flourish.

He urged politicians, military, judiciary and bureaucracy to promote the national agenda of supremacy of the Constitution, people and democracy that would strengthen democracy and ensure a developing Pakistan which was the PML-N’s objective.

Saad said, “It is an important day for the multi-ethnic, multi-religious and politically diverse

people of Pakistan as it is the birth anniversary of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the birth day of Jesus Christ and the birthday of Nawaz Sharif all on the same day.”