Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif on Thursday said no compromise would be made on the ‘respect of vote’.
Addressing party leaders in the federal capital, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo said his party must further mobilize the citizens for the cause of democracy. “Our country will continue to move on the path of development only if the vote of the citizens is respected,” he said. The constitution should not be disrespected anymore, he added.
Nawaz said the current circumstances in the country are an injustice to the constitution. He said that the country’s top anti-graft body has never seen a case such as the one pinned against him in the accountability court. Reiterating that the cases against him are for theft from the national treasury and have not been proven, Nawaz said the cases not only target him but also his family. He also pointed to a new case being formulated against him for ordering the expansion of Raiwind road from 20 ft to 24 ft.
“I was exiled for seven years and remained behind bars for 14 months. I didn’t know why I was in Attock Fort. I was elected as the prime minister three times, it was an honour for me,” Nawaz said.
“What is happening now is injustice with Pakistan’s constitution. I am a person who respects institutions. Our marches led to the restoration of the judiciary. Some people are brave, but it has become a norm to exile others or put them behind bars,” he lamented, adding that this has been a norm for the past 70 years.
“It has nothing to do with me personally,” he added. “Many new LNG projects have been set up, coal-based projects were also set up for the first time. With the exception of the Lahore motorway, there were no roads here,” the former premier said. “I was the first one to develop Islamabad and Murree roads, even Ziaul Haq lauded me then,” he added. “Why has Pakistan stopped gathering international interest,” he questioned. “How can the business of the country be run in this way?” he questioned further. Nawaz said that when the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) left the government, the GDP was 3.9 per cent, however the PML-N government increased it to 5.4 per cent with hopes of touching 5.5 per cent. Separately, in an exclusive interview to the Wall Street Journal, former prime minister Nawaz Sharif accused the judiciary of pursuing a ‘vendetta’ against him in a ‘battle of democracy versus tyranny’. He told the American publication that the nation’s protracted struggle for democracy was in peril with general elections around the corner. “I will stand up and fight this battle in the country, and I’m absolutely sure that the rule of law will win, the constitution will emerge victorious. And the toppling of governments, the ousting of elected governments and prime ministers, will come to an end,” he said. “They want to deprive me and my party from having a level playing field ahead of the election,” he said. “But I’m sure that the people of this country will not let it happen.”
Published in Daily Times, April 27th 2018.
