No hesitation in resigning at right time: I believe in reconciliation, not confrontation, says Shahbaz Sharif

LAHORE: The Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly, Shahbaz Sharif, on Saturday said he does not seek confrontation with anyone as he believed in reconciliation.

In a conversation with senior journalists, he said people know it well he had always advocated reconciliatory politics, which is always in the best interest of the country and the people. 

He said he had been "in touch with the army as an institution for 25 years now". Shahbaz said that despite his viewpoint, he "never sought any benefit from reconciliation". “My reconciliatory politics had never brought me any personal benefits,” he added. The Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) president said: "Confrontation will not benefit anyone. It is my belief that the country can only move forward with consultation and reconciliation." PML-N leader Khawaja Saad Rafique was also present in the huddle.

However, he added, the decisions made during the All Parties Conference stand and both his party and the PPP were ready to resign from the assemblies instantly should the time come for such a move to be necessary. Shehbaz reassured that the APC decisions would be implemented in letter and spirit without exception. He stressed that the incompetent and corrupt government would not be given more time to destroy the country beyond repair.

According to Geo News talk show host Shahzad Iqbal, PML-N stalwart Khwaja Saad Rafique said that if the resistance was adopted as a strategy by the opposition, then the onlyPrime Minister Imran Khan and his government would benefit from it. He claimed that the government seeks the opposition "to engage in confrontation and fighting with the state institutions". When Shahbaz was asked how the government could have such a plan when it was the PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif who himself spoke out against the institutions, the PML-N president rejected the notion and said that latter had only spoken in favour of the Constitution and the law. “Nawaz Sharif provided recommendations for the future of Pakistan. They must be taken into consideration.” Shahbaz said the speech of the PML-N supremo was based on political realities only. Referring to reports that Nawaz Sharif had prohibited party members from meeting military leadership unless it was absolutely necessary and then only with his express approval, Shahbaz clarified that Nawaz had simply said there is no harm in informing him if such a meeting was planned.

Shahbaz also spoke of the opposition's demand for re-elections, saying that all the parties are in agreement that fresh and transparent polls should be held but they must not be held until the demand for "no interference" in the exercise is fulfilled.

Responding to a question on why the party thinks the prime minister seeks Shahbaz’s arrest, Saad Rafique said the premier “fears Shahbaz Sharif’s performance”. Shahbaz also showed some documents to claim his innocence in the ongoing cases against him. He said he did not commit corruption of even a single penny in any of the development projects completed during his government nor his family benefitted from any of them. Rather, he claimed, his decisions as the chief minister caused losses of hundreds of millions of rupees to his family business. He said his conscience was clear and his hands were clean, as he saved at least one trillion rupees for the country by completing development projects in record time. The former chief minister Punjab said the failed PTI government had no other choice but to create an atmosphere of confrontation to survive. He said Imran Niazi had failed to prove a single allegation against him, and all this fuss was because he [Imran] was politically insecure regarding Gilgit-Baltistan and the local bodies elections. He claimed that the Chinese and British governments have rejected Imran Khan, rejected his accusations and testified to his [Shahbaz] honesty and transparency. Shahbaz alleged that he and his family were being subjected to fake cases, political victimisation, harassment, and imprisonment.

The opposition leader stressed that the decision regarding Gilgit-Baltistan's future must be taken with approval and consultation of the people of occupied Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan. He warned against taking any decision that could weaken Pakistan's stance over the held Kashmir.

Separately, addressing a press conference at the PML-N office in Model Town, PML-N leader Ahsan Iqbal said the PTI government was using NAB as a tool to hinder party politics. He said the address of Nawaz Sharif to the APC was a reflection of general sentiment prevailing among the party workers and the commonman.

He alleged that the selected government was formed through rigging in 2018, and now it wanted to arrest PML-N President Shahbaz Sharif to rig the Gilgit-Baltistan elections. He warned that the PML-N would not allow the 'selected' government to stage that drama in Gilgit-Baltistan elections again. “Imran Niazi will not be allowed to repeat what happened in 2018,” he added. He said the PML-N Quaid [Nawaz Sharif], who took unprecedented steps to change the destiny of Pakistan, was expelled from politics, and now the government wanted to oust its president as well. The judiciary has made it clear that pre-trial arrests violated fundamental rights, he added.