F.P. Report
ISLAMABAD: Former prime minister and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz senior leader Shahid Khaqan Abbasi has rubbished the government minister’s talk about the PML-N’s top tier four leaders’ endeavor to strike a possible deal with ‘someone’ in case their party supremo Nawaz Sharif did not fit in ‘their’ power framework.
In an interview with a private television channel on Saturday, Abbasi said there was no veracity in federal Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry’s claim regarding the deal as he along with Kh Asif and few others went to the residence of Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani where they met with Fawad Ch and other ministers.
A few days ago, Fawad Ch told a presser that the PML-N’s four top leaders met someone and told him that Nawaz Sharif did great wrong to the country [so] why don’t they consider them. The minister further revealed that an interesting race was going on within the opposition party.
Abbasi while rejecting information minister’s claim said mockingly that Fawad Ch had been employed to issue statements and his job was only to make (false) announcements.
He was of the view that country’s issues could only be solved if we abided by the constitution. In parliamentary form of government, opposition does the same as we are doing, he said adding that opposition was not an army or a platoon which could launch an attack on parliament and win it.
Abbasi predicted that the government could not complete its five years tenure as when the props (crutches) would be removed, it would crumble and everything would be alright.
On question of establishment’s neutrality, the former premier replied: “Have you ever seen that the establishment has remained neutral? Didn’t you see what happened during the passage of mini-budget bill in parliament? Those who did not want to cast their votes in favour of the bill, they got phone calls.”
Abbasi said that no MNA or any political party could favor a mini-budget that put extra economic burden on people. On the matter of Nawaz Sharif’s return, he said that he was currently taking medical treatment abroad and he along with his other companions advised Nawaz to come back after completing his treatment.
On politicians’ photoshoots with ISI DG, Abbasi said that he was not interested in having a photoshoot with the ISI DG ‘that’s why you will not see even a single photo of mine with him’.
He said that the PDM in its Jan 25 meeting would review the preparations of its long march and would also deliberate on the ECP’s report on PTI’s foreign funding accounts.
Commenting on the NAB chief working, he satirically remarked that Justice ® Javed Iqbal would keep on working on ‘daily wages’ until a new chairman would be appointed.
On a new debate doing rounds on media nowadays regarding the presidential system, Abbasi said that this form of government was repugnant to our constitution. For presidential system, we must need a new constitution and our country is not ready to make a new constitution, he added.
When asked if he was candidate for the prime minister-ship, he replied in negative. However, he said if his party nominated him then he would think about it.
The PML-N leader who was facing the LNG purchase scandal, said that Pakistan was producing electricity with diesel but not Saudi Arabia. He lamented that ships were bringing oil from abroad but refineries in our country were not working. This is how our energy ministry is handling the energy affairs, he mocked.
