Strengthening institutions to make country strong: Sarwar

LAHORE: Punjab Governor Chaudhry Sarwar has said that Pakistan Army is a neutral institution and it should not be dragged to politics by the opposition parties for their vested interests.

Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani's admission that establishment is neutral should serve as a reminder for the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) leaders to avoid hyperbole, he said. He maintained that all should stand united by the armed forces of Pakistan because strengthening institutions would make the country strong.

Sarwar said Pakistan Army was the army of 220 million Pakistanis, not of a single party or ideology, adding that the political parties accept only the decision that was in their favour, otherwise, they start blame game against the institutions.

Talking to the media, the Punjab governor said if all political parties accepted each other's mandate and rights, there would be no political bickering. He said the PTI government had ensured transparency in the Senate elections in Punjab, adding that a coalition party fielded a candidate, five candidates came forward from PTI and five from PML-N. After which all the PTI candidates were elected unopposed as senators.

"Had we fielded seven candidates, then there would have been talk of horse trading, but we did not do that. Other provinces should also adopt this practice," he responded.

Replying to a question, Chaudhry Sarwar said Pakistan had the best armed forces in the world that were capable of giving a befitting response to the enemy.

He said the PTI government had never advocated the politics of confrontation. If some people in the opposition are talking about political reconciliation today, the government welcomes it, he said. Pakistan cannot afford any kind of confrontational politics, he said, adding, “I also give credit to Yusuf Raza Gilani who said that the establishment is neutral.” "Now the rest of the PDM leaders are also acknowledging the neutrality of the establishment,” he said.

Meanwhile, addressing a condolence reference held in memory of former Prime Minister Malik Meraj Khalid and noted businessman and social activist Seth Abid at Governor's House on Saturday, the Punjab governor said, “Unfortunately, there were many politicians who accumulated wealth after coming to power, but Malik Meraj Khalid set an example by serving the nation with honesty and helping the poor. His name still lives and his services will always be cherished and remembered. His welfare organisation was still working in many sectors, including education and I had also decided to sponsor it.”

Chaudhry Sarwar said that Seth Abid was an affluent person, he had a passion to serve humanity and he worked closely with Malik Meraj Khalid and they served the poor in many ways, including the mass marriage ceremonies for the poor people. The other speakers also paid rich tribute to Malik Meraj Khalid and Seth Abid for their social services during the seminar.