Zardari expects general elections announcement soon n Nawaz Sharif will reach Pakistan soon to lead election campaign: Kh Asif n Defence minister says no bar for ECP to hold next elections in October.
ISLAMABAD/LAHORE/SIALKOT - Pakistan People’s Party supremo Asif Ali Zardari expects general elections announcement soon as the National Assembly is nearing the end of its five-year term.
Close aides of Zardari told The Nation that the PPP leader had asked the party organizations to be prepared for the polls.
“We are expecting the polls at the right time (within this year). Zardari has asked us to get ready (for the elections),” said one aide. Another PPP leader said the PPP was optimistic to win the polls going to be held later this year. “The PPP believes in polls at the right time. We want polls this year,” he contended.
PPP leader Faisal Karim Kundi - who is also the Special Assistant to Prime Minister - said the economic stability of a country plays a vital role to face any challenge as the governments make efforts to make the economic condition more sound.
“Our party’s main motto is to conduct elections at specific time and period after completion of the constitutional period of the government,” he added.
Commenting on the role of the coalition government, he said that the coalition government had to face many challenges due to a weak economy. We have to cooperate with each other to revive business activity, he added.
Minister for Defence Khawaja Muhammad Asif said Sunday that there is no restriction for Election the Commission of Pakistan to hold next elections in October. The parliament has given permission to ECP to conduct general elections as per schedule, he said while talking to a private television channel. The incumbent government has allocated funds for arranging the elections in a free and fair manner, he said. In reply to a question about life time disqualification for political leaders, he said, “it is human right violation to disqualify the political leaders for life time.” About Nawaz Sharif, he said that former prime minister would reach Pakistan soon and lead the election campaign.
He hoped that PML-N, would win the general elections with the full support of the people. To a question, he said that PML-N would continue development and welfare works under the vision and guidance of Nawaz Sharif. He said Nawaz Sharif had been facing false cases registered against him by rival party. Commenting on dissolving assemblies before the time, he said, it is just rumors being spread in the country. ‘Mastermind of May 9 incident’
Khawaja Asif also said that the mastermind, planner and inventor of the May-9 incident was only Imran Khan. Addressing a dinner reception, given in his honour by members of the Cantt Board Sialkot, he regretted that it was former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman who challenged the state writ and the state institutions. He said the state is like a mother to its citizens, but this person ended that relationship in lust for power.
He said the lesson he (Imran Khan) imparted to his party activists, and the planning he done, resulted in attacks on memorials of martyrs and military installations and the defense assets, saying that political workers were incited by their leader to attack the state and its institutions. Kh Asif said what happened on May 9, no one should doubt that its mastermind, planner and its creator was the PTI chairman alone. He said that during the last 14 months, this person (Imran Khan) did not even once ask to meet or sit down with politicians to solve the national problems. He only expressed his desire to talk to the military leadership.
The defence minister said Pakistan Army is the guarantor of country’s defence and integrity. He said that power was taken away from politicians many times in the past; power was taken away from Nawaz Sharif three times, while Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was hanged, but no one challenged the state writ. Rather, they waited for elections for years and came to power with the power of vote, he added.
Kh Asif said this person (Imran Khan) did not speak a single truth before power, during power and after getting power. He said that today, the whole of Pakistan was paying the price of this person’s wrong decisions. If this person had not resigned from the assemblies, and not dissolved the KP and Punjab Assemblies, neither he nor his party would have confronted the current challenges. He said “we are thankful to Allah for honoring us and giving us the government for the last 14 months.
“We are trying to fix the economic and moral ruins that we inherited,” he added.
Meanwhile, Minister for Defence Khawaja Asif on Sunday urged the House not to support the Chairman Senate Salaries, Allowance and Privileges Bill passed by the Senate recently as the country could not afford such incentives in the prevailing economic situation.
Speaking in the National Assembly after passage of federal budget for fiscal year 2023-24, the minister said, he has great respect for senators and the Senate as he had started his political career from the Senate. However, the people and business community are in immense difficulties due to the prevailing financial crisis, he said.
He said the salary of MNA stood at Rs 168,000 per month which was lower than a federal secretary. He said such privilege in the current financial circumstance could not be afforded. Lauding the Finance Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar and his entire finance teams, he said that a balanced budget was presented despite of critical situation. He expressed the hope that a new era of economic stability would start soon. The minister also clarified that neither the government was bearing expenditure nor giving any special facility for members of the National Assembly for performing Hajj. Even ordinary people were also part of the special flight to carry pilgrims to Saudi Arabia, he added.
Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo and former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and the party’s Vice-President Maryam Nawaz Sharif met members of the Dubai Royal family after reaching the Middle Eastern country a day earlier.
Nawaz reached Dubai from London on Saturday afternoon while Maryam arrived with her son Junaid Safdar and other members of the family at the same time from Lahore. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif remains in London and will be returning to Pakistan shortly.
The three-time prime minister is staying at the Emirates Hill residence of Ishaq Dar’s son and Sharif’s son-in-law Ali Dar who is married to Asma Sharif, the younger sister of Maryam.
A Video CLIP shows Nawaz and Maryam leaving Ali Dar’s residence in an entourage of cars, with the protocol from the Dubai authorities. The PML-N supremo travelled from London with Hussain Nawaz, Asma and Dr Adnan Khan.
Nawaz was received at the airport by the Dubai government protocol and his security protocol was arranged by the government authorities. Reportedly, Nawaz and Maryam attended six meetings on Sunday. One of the meetings was with leading businessmen.
According to sources, Nawaz held several important meetings in Dubai where the road map for his return was discussed in detail including Pakistan’s economic and political future. The PML-N sources have said that the former premier will be returning to Pakistan in the near future.
Sources have revealed that one meeting was held on Sunday afternoon had the longest discussion, but the attendees have not been disclosed as of now.
In particular, discussions focused on resolving legal entanglements that could be preventing Nawaz’s return home, with the expectation expressed that a solution will be found soon.
On the other hand, there are reports that the PML-N supremo will spend Eid ul Adha with his family in Dubai in the first week of July. Moreover, he is scheduled to have special meetings with the royal family in Saudi Arabia