PM questions shadowy role of political parties in Senate elections

BAHAWALPUR, Apr 14 (APP):Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi Saturday questioned the vague role of political parties during the election of Senate chairman and said whether with such approach they had earned good name for the country or politics.
Addressing a gathering of PML-N workers and notables of the area, he said the party, which did not have representation in the parliament, succeeded in electing its nominees as senators.
Alluding to the Pakistan Tahreek-e-Insaf chairman’s complaint of deserters in his party during the Senate elections, the prime minister said the same party went in alliance with the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) to get their nominee elected as Senate chairman.
“Votes were purchased. Whether with such tactics, they served the country and earned respect for the country. Whether they deserved to rule the country!” he maintained.
On the other hand, Muhammad Nawaz Sharif was fighting for the cause of ordinary people, he said, adding public mandate should be given respect.
The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), he said, proved it and worked for the supremacy of the public mandate. Despite opportunities in the Senate elections, the party did not go for such politics abhorred by it and the public, he added.
The prime minister said there were no allegations of corruption against the PML-N government.
Expressing his dismay, he reiterated that leaders like Nawaz Sharif, who served the nation, were dragged in the courts, which was unfortunate.
But no one dared to ask Musharraf about his acts, he said, adding Zardari’ party had been in the power for five years but it could not complete a single development project. Could it (PPP) cite any single road, energy, or port project completed during its tenure and it was sent packing home by the electorate, he said.
The prime minister said they accepted the Supreme Court’s decisions but the people had not accepted them and would decide through the power of their votes in the upcoming July elections.
He said the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) was an independent body and it had to follow the country’s law.
He said the people would give their verdict in July and stressed that public mandate should be respected and on the basis of upcoming decision, the country would have to head forward.
“Political decisions are not delivered in the courts,” he said fearing Nawaz Sharif would not get justice from the Accountability Court.
The prime minister said Nawaz Sharif’s case was the only one in which proceedings were being held on daily basis. Though they respected judiciary, but the justice should not be done but it should be seen as being done, he added.
On the basis of not drawing salary from his son’s company, Nawaz Sharif was declared as disqualified, the prime minister said.
He said the country could progress only in a democratic system that should not be a maimed one and where the public leaders were held in respect. If the leaders were not respected then how could the country hoped to get the same reverence among the comity of nations, he added.
The prime minister said the PML-N had a long list of development projects in the infrastructure, power sector, industries etc; that ensured progress and provided employment to the jobless and brought Pakistan into the list of progressive nations. It was made possible due to public confidence in the PML-N and its supreme leader Nawaz Sharif.
He said every worker worked for their party but other parties had disappointed them because they were deprived of their development and political expectations.
After dharna (sit-in), he said, the people had straightaway rejected the politics of disrespect, use of abusive language and indecency. The people, he added, supported the PML-N politics of decency centered in the development and progress of the country.
Only the PML-N executed the uplift works, he said and referred to the Lowari Tunnel, which was completed in 2017 by Nawaz Sharif after spending about Rs 18 billion.
The prime minister said Karachi was once considered as one of the most unsecured cities of the world but the PML-N government returned its fabulous peace by eradicating the menace of terrorism.
About creation of new provinces, the prime minister said a national dialogue could be held by all the political parties and stakeholders by creating consensus. He said these issues should have been resolved long ago.
The prime minister further underlined the need to moving ahead by learning from the past.
The prime minister said the development in Bahawalpur and all over the country was result of the confidence expressed by people in the leadership of PML-N.
He said the workers were the soul of a party and their elected representatives were answerable to them.
Federal Minister for Education Engineer Muhammad Bligh-ur-Rehman and Senator Ch Saud Majeed also addressed the gathering. Parliamentarians and workers of PML-N attended the event in large numbers.
Later speaking to a delegation of Bahawalpur Economic Development Forum at Circuit House, the prime minister said the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) would boost the country’s economy with overall impact on the growth rate , infrastructure, trade and business activities.
He said all areas of Punjab province were being developed under the vision of PML-N supreme leader Nawaz Sharif and also credited the provincial government for the fast paced development.
The prime minister stressed that good policy and planning were the keys for development of any area.
He said the PML-N government inherited different issues like energy crisis, terrorism and economic instability from the previous governments but it successfully resolved them.
He also lauded the role of Bahawalpur Economic Development Forum (BEDF) in the development of Bahawalpur and congratulated its office-bearers for their efforts.
He observed Bahawalpur would also benefit from the motorway.
The prime minister said the nations could not progress without paying taxes and tax amnesty scheme was aimed at bringing more people in the tax net.
Earlier, the BEDF office-bearers briefed the prime minister about functioning of the forum and its chairman Dr Rana Muhammad Tariq presented souvenirs to him. Federal Minister for Education Engineer Muhammad Bligh-ur-Rehman, Senator Ch Saud Majeed and Provincial Minister for Cooperatives Malik Iqbal Channar were also present on the occasion.
Later, a delegation of Lahore High Court Bar Association Bahawalpur also called on the prime minister.