Nawaz will be arrested if court orders, says PM

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi Thursday hoped that a consensus caretaker prime minister would be put in place to hold the next general election to be held in mid of July this year after the incumbent government completes its Constitutional term on May 31.

“After the latest meeting with Leader of the Opposition in National Assembly Syed Khursheed Ahmad Shah [held on Wednesday], I am very much hopeful for a consensus caretaker prime minister,” Prime Minister Abbasi said in an interview with a private TV channel yesterday.

About obeying the NAB court’s order in the case of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, the prime minister said he had stated many times that Nawaz Sharif would not get justice from the NAB court.

The prime minister, however, said if the court ordered arrest of the former prime minister Nawaz Sharif the government would obey it, but the people would not accept it. Prime Minister Abbasi said that jails were not a new place for them.

To a question, he emphatically stated that the PML-N government would rule the country till the last day of its Constitutional term and would not go for dissolving the assemblies even a day before its term, which is May 31, 2018, reported the state-run wire service.

Responding to another question, the prime minister said the general election would be held in-time as neither there was any Constitutional provision to delay the election nor it would be in the interest of the country.

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He, however, added that as far as the process and subsequent problems with regard to delimitation of Constituencies as per the new census were concerned, these would hopefully be addressed by the Election Commission of Pakistan.

To a question about his recent meeting with Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Saqib Nisar, the prime minister said during the meeting which was held on his request, the two sides exchanged views on the issues and challenges faced by the country particularly those related to the executive and judiciary and presented their respective points of view.

He said he was in favor of such a dialogue between the state organs. “With no negativity, there was all positivity in the meeting,” he remarked.

About the change of parties by some parliamentarians, the prime minister wondered that some people who remained part of the PML-N government during the last over four and half years, had now come up with their demands including that of a separate province.

“After the election, these people will know what the masses think about them”, he remarked adding, “We should learn lessons from the past.”

To a question, the prime minister said he was confident that there was no involvement of the Establishment in such changes or horse-trading like in Balochistan. “But if it was so, it would hurt the country politically,” he added.

About desertion of some MNAs and MPAs from the ruling PML-N ahead of the upcoming polls, the prime minister said,” if any MNA or MPA want to go he may leave, they [deserters] will be replaced by other representatives from the same constituencies, as the PML-N is a strong and organized party.”