‘Prime minister Nawaz Sharif’ will return to his post: interim PM

ISLAMABAD: Newly elected interim Prime Minsiter Shahid Khaqan Abbasi on Tuesday said he had firm belief that “prime minister of Pakistan Nawaz Sharif” will return to his post, ARY News reported.

“Four days ago we accepted the unprecedented verdict of the Supreme Court as it was, but citizens of Pakistan did not. PM left the office the same day and went to his house,” he said while addressing the National Assembly after being elected Chief Executive Officer of the country for 45 days.

He avoided to talk more on the top court ruling saying “I will not like to go in detail what happened on Friday (July 28), but we did not let democracy derail.”

A five-judge Supreme Court bench disqualified Nawaz Sharif as prime minister on July 28 in a unanimous verdict in the Panamagate case, thus cutting short his third stint in power.

Soon after the SC judgement, the PM House issued a terse statement saying that Nawaz Sharif, despite having reservations on the SC’s verdict, has stepped down from his post as the premier.

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Sharif served as prime minister twice in the 1990s before he himself was ousted in a 1999 coup leading to a decade of exile. He won a third term as prime minister in a 2013 election.

Abbasi won the election for PM with 221 out of 342 votes.

Rejecting the notion of differences within the party, Shahid Khaqan said on the next day of the historic court ruling a parliamentary party meeting was convened which was attended by every member, which was evidence that there was no crack within the party, he added.

He further said nobody was a candidate for PM in his party, but only whom Nawaz nominated.

“We all can assure, encompassing allies and opposition, that Nawaz was never involved in corruption,” he said.

In a sarcastic manner, he said he believed Nawaz was guilty for making the country nuclear power. He put the economy on path of development and brought stability in the country. He brought LNG in the country to provide fuel to the whole industry sector, he said.

In response to allegations of corruption leveled against him, he said his lifestyle before coming into politics was more luxurious than he currently held. “I earned all the money with hard work,” he said.

He also pointed towards working of the institutions with integrity and said, “If we have to persist in the country we should follow the constitution. All institutions of the country are passengers of the same ship if it gets leaked we all will be affected.”

Read More: Shahid Khaqan Abbasi elected as new Prime Minister of Pakistan

The interim premier said it did not matter whether he was a PM for 45 hours or 45 days what mattered was that he had to work regardless of his (short) time span.

Shahid Khaqan Abbasi expressed reservations over armed persons presence around the Parliament House.

“No country in the world would allow automatic weapons license for a citizen.

“If cabinet approved, I must take action against those holding automatic weapons and roaming around the parliament house in plain clothes and escorting parliamentarians,” he said.

He also talked in length about the issues facing the country and their redressal. He said his government would deliver stat-of-the-art railway system to Pakistan.

He said the issues of the biggest city of Pakistan would be resolved and Karachi package will be granted in this regard.

The PM thanked all the allies party who voted in his support.