ISLAMABAD - A high-level meeting with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in the chair decided that writ of the government would be established at all costs and that no public rallies would be allowed without the formal permission of the authorities.
The meeting, attended by senior party leaders, including Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, KP Governor Sardar Mehtab Ahmad Khan Abbasi, Leader of House in Senate Raja Zafarul Haq, federal ministers Ch Nisar Ali Khan, Ahsan Iqbal, Lt-Gen (r) Abdul Qadir Baloch and other inner core party leaders, discussed the overall political situation in the country with specific reference to the protest programme of PTI on August 14, an expected move by Allama Tahirul Qadri and other important issues.
The meeting also discussed the elaborate programme to mark the Independence Day on August 14 in a befitting manner. It also decided to hold a big public gathering at D-Chowk, Islamabad, the venue also selected by PTI Chairman Imran Khan to hold Azadi March on the same day.
The sources aware of the deliberations of the meeting informed The Nation that it was decided that writ of the government would be established at all costs, but use of force to quell any protest plan would be the last option. The government would try to resolve the issue with PTI and other parties planning protests in the federal capital through negotiations, it was decided.
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif directed his financial managers to utilise all available resources to look after the IDPs of North Waziristan. He also proposed that August 14 events should be dedicated to the armed forces fighting the militants across the country and to those who had sacrificed their lives to save the motherland from the militants out to destabilise the country.
The sources said Prime Minister Sharif made it clear at the meeting that they would not let a few thousand people hold the country hostage and directed the federal interior minister to enforce the writ of the government.
They further revealed it was decided at the meeting that the government would also take other main political stakeholders into confidence on the plan to deal with the people trying to create turmoil in the country in the name of their democratic right.
The meeting also discussed a suggestion that the PTI leadership should be approached to convince them not to hold the protest march at the time when the country was fighting the militants.
The plan for August 14 Independence Day celebrations also was discussed in detail and it was decided that the events which would start a few days before August 14 would remain in progress till August 14 when the final event would be organised in the federal capital.
It was further decided that this year the August 14 celebrations would be dedicated to the armed forces, especially, homage would be paid to those who had laid down their lives for the defence of the country, fighting miscreants in various parts of the country.
APP adds: Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif on Tuesday asked the investors and businessmen to continue strengthening national economy through their taxes and not to be deterred by those giving calls for “revolution and change”.
“The people of Pakistan have given us mandate to help rid the country of corruption, terrorism and economic ills and we will make an economic turnaround with our efforts,” the Prime Minister said in his address at the launch of Taxpayers’ Privileges and Honour Card scheme here at the PM Office.
The Prime Minister said the political parties, who were claiming to bring about a change in the country through protest and long marches, were not doing any favour to the country.
He said those talking about a revolution with the support of mere 40,000-50,000 people, could not be allowed to overrun the mandate given by millions of people to the Pakistan Muslim League-N government.
The prime minister said no one could be permitted to hinder the journey of progress at any cost and urged all political parties to join hands for the betterment of the country.
Nawaz Sharif said there was no room for the politics of negativity similar to the era of 80s and 90s in the country.
He said the world today was acknowledging the success of the government in various areas as there were no corruption scandals and the development work was going on at full pace.
The Prime Minister said the problems that had been piling up for years, could not be resolved in few months and the government was taking a number of long and short term measures to address all such issues, including power shortage.
He said a number of development projects were underway in cooperation with China and expressed the hope that the results would be obvious soon. He also cited a number of power generation projects, including two power houses of 1300 MW at Port Qasim, 660 MW at Thar, 1300 MW at Jamshoro and enhanced capacity project of 2500 MW at Tarbela Dam.
He said the Neelum Jhelum project would also be operational by 2017.
The prime minister recalled that he had launched a long march for the restoration of judges, but culminated it at Gujranwala after the announcement was made for their reinstatement. He said had the PML-N any destructive agenda, they would have marched on to the federal capital, but they had no intention of toppling the government.