Shehbaz Sharif claims coalition govt has successfully overcome ‘shadows of default’ n Pakistan, IMF to strike staff-level agreement soon n Clarifies his govt not taking action against Imran on its own but on court orders n Imran violating law by repeatedly skipping courts proceedings.

ISLAMABAD    -    Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said Wednesday said the federal govern­ment was committed to fulfill its constitution­al obligation of holding election and would act as per the decision of the Election Commis­sion of Pakistan (ECP).

“No one should have a doubt on us regarding evading the elections. We will whole-hearted­ly participate in election and will follow whatever decided by ECP,” he told a delegation of Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors (CPNE) here at the PM House.

Shehbaz Sharif said it was up to the ECP to decide over the mat­ter, however, as presi­dent of Pakistan Mus­lim League (Nawaz), he had directed his par­ty to finalize names of ticket-holders.

He said the govern­ment was cognizant of the fact that timely elec­tion led to a stronger State and its progress. In the same context, he mentioned that the government had initiat­ed work on census and the funds had been re­leased despite financial constraints.

The prime minister said the country was passing through politi­cal and economic challenges, however said that all political par­ties of the Pakistan Democratic Alliance (PDM) coalition con­tributed positively towards improvement in situation.

During 11 months of the tenure, he said, the government had successfully overcome the shadows of default. He regretted that the previous government stepped back from the agreement inked with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). 

He said it was not a private but a state deal, and the non-im­plementation of which resulted in big loss of the country. He expressed confidence that a staff-level agreement with the IMF would be struck soon. He dismissed the impression that IMF talked about political instability in the country.

Shehbaz Sharif recalled that friendly countries including Sau­di Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and China extended sup­port to Pakistan in trying times. To control inflation, he said the government was committed to ensuring austerity and provid­ing relief to poor especially during Ramazan.

The prime minister pointed out the “naked defiance” of for­mer PM Imran Khan and making fun of the state institutions by his no-show in courts. “First time in Pakistan, a so-called politi­cal person is considering himself above law …Non- appearance in courts is tantamount to violation of law,” he said. 

He recalled that Imran Khan used to hit at politicians with unlawful tactics and was now trying to defy the rule of law. He mentioned that PML-N leaders including himself, for­mer prime minister Nawaz Sharif and Rana Sanaullah were dragged in fake cases by the previous government, but still appeared before the courts. Also, senior journalists includ­ing Absar Alam and Matiullah Jan were manhandled during Imran Khan’s tenure.