LONDON - Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi said on Monday that the foreign minister's remarks regarding 'in-house cleaning' are completely true and he agrees with the point of view that ‘our own house’ needs to be cleaned first.
Former interior minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan had criticised Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif's remarks in which he said Pakistan should first the solve problems on its own end before asking others to put their house in order.
"Pakistan has made clear its national policy to America. In the UN, Pakistan will tell the world about its role in the fight against terrorism," Abbasi told Geo News in London.
He also said that the government is not satisfied with the ongoing accountability drive.
PM Abbasi said he has held one meeting with former prime minister Nawaz Sharif — who is in London these days — and is going to hold another ‘today’ [Monday].
"I have discussed in detail political and other issues [with Nawaz]," he remarked.
About Sunday's victory of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz in the NA-120 by-election, Abbasi said the result shows that the electorate trusts Nawaz's leadership.
Regarding allegations of his role in the 'LNG case', he said "I am available. Everything will come out in the open in court". He added that Sheikh Rasheed's accusations [against him in the LNG case] will prove false.
Prior to leaving for the US where he will attend the UNGA session, the prime minister held an hour-long meeting with Nawaz Sharif. According to reports, Abbasi congratulated Nawaz on Kalsoom Nawaz's win in NA-120.
Kabul attack statement
Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi's office on Monday refuted a statement regarding the Kabul attack that was attributed to the prime minister by The Financial Times.
On Monday morning, The Financial Times said that the prime minister had "admitted the limitations of its [Pakistan's] operations" in an interview with the Tokyo-based daily, adding that he believed "the bombers who killed more than 90 people in the attack in Kabul in May were likely to have come from Pakistan."
While refuting the statement as "baseless", a spokesman for the prime minister, "advised the relevant print media [outlet] to carefully review the contents of discussions before reporting [them]," said APP
“The remarks are simply baseless and have no reference to discussions with any media person. On the contrary, the prime minister has repeatedly argued that attacks in Pakistan are being orchestrated from across the border,” APP quoted a press release from the Prime Minister Office as saying.
Kabul had accused the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) of facilitating the Kabul attack, while Pakistan's Foreign Office had asked the Afghan government to stop blaming Pakistan for its own failings while rubbishing the allegations.