Khaqan underscores dialogue among institutions

ISLAMABAD: Former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi on Tuesday disclosed that he was made an offer to form the government.

Talking to The News, he reiterated his stance for an inter-institution dialogue for the sake of a better future for Pakistan, and added that Nawaz Sharif would be ready to be part of a meaningful dialogue with all stakeholders.

Abbasi said that Nawaz Sharif’s recent speeches were not meant to humiliate anyone but to identify the problems and fix them for the sake of a brighter future and in the interest of the people of Pakistan.

To a question, he said that it is his personal view that an inter-institution dialogue is the only way forward for the country. When asked if Nawaz Sharif would agree to such an idea, he responded in the affirmative and said that Nawaz Sharif has no personal agenda or grudge with anyone but wants to address the fundamental wrongs in our system, which could only be corrected through a meaningful dialogue process.

He said that the purpose of the opposition’s current public mobilisation campaigns is to pave the way for a meaningful dialogue process. He explained that neither Nawaz Sharif nor the PDM speak against institutions; instead, they only refer to the mistakes of certain individuals holding responsible positions.

The former premier also disclosed that, he was approached with an offer to form a government during his incarceration. Abbasi said that he told the messengers to go and talk to Nawaz instead. He avoided naming the messengers but said that both Nawaz Sharif and the PML-N would not be willing to be part of any dialogue leading to the setting up of what he termed another ‘hybrid’ government.

Abbasi said that the country could not be run in the present fashion and therefore a dialogue must be initiated for constitutional rule and to ensure that repeated past mistakes must be avoided. He said that the military establishment, the government and the opposition, the judiciary, media and the NAB should be made part of the dialogue process where past mistakes must be acknowledged and a mechanism be evolved not to repeat them.

Referring to Nawaz Sharif’s recent speeches, he said that although the PML-N chief named the army chief and the DG ISI, the purpose was not to humiliate them but to point out what went wrong. He said that all the stakeholders should sit together for the greater good of the masses instead of focusing on personal issues and grudges. He believed that issues are resolved on the table and though it was better if it had been done two years ago, it should still be done now before it is too late.

Regarding the PML-N’s contacts with the establishment, he said that politicians and the establishment have always maintained contacts but after the recent episodes, where such contacts were revealed in a scandalous manner, the trust level for such interactions were dashed. At times, these contacts are made in the best national interest, he said, but the manner in which such meetings were recently portrayed, has compelled the PML-N to stop such interactions.

He said that currently there was no contact between the PML-N and the establishment and such contacts could not be restored before the revival of trust between the two sides. About the dialogue process, he said it would be an immediate success if all the parties concerned think about the national interest and resolve to focus on the greater good of the people.