Nawaz Sharif to lead election campaign on his return next month: PM Shehbaz

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif said Quaid of Pakistan Muslim League(N) Nawaz Sharif would come back to Pakistan next month and would face his cases in courts, ARY News reported.

In an interview with a private television channel, he said after the caretaker government was formed he would go to London to discuss plan of his return with his brother Nawaz Sharif.

Nawaz Sharif would lead the election campaign of his party and would be the next prime minister for the fourth time if Pakistan Muslim League(N) won the next election, he added.

The prime minister said last night the President signed the advice to dissolve the National Assembly and he had talked with coalition partners about the caretaker prime minister and the decision would be made in the next three days. “Tomorrow we will hopefully finalize a name for the post of caretaker prime minister,” he said adding he would further consult the matter with the allied parties and Nawaz Sharif.

He said as he had been saying all along he would hand over the government to the caretaker set up and the Election Commission would decide about the date for new elections.

Council of Common Interests (CCI) had already approved the new digital census and the election would be held according to this census, he told.

“We have followed the constitution and now the institutions have the responsibility to hold the elections,” he remarked adding he desired that elections should be held as soon as possible.

Shehbaz pointed out that he led the shortest government of 16 months formed by coalition parties of various ideologies and thinking.

“We proved to the people that the coalition parties were united for sake of the country. We performed our responsibilities in the best interests of the state.”

He said after he took over the country faced devastating floods and the government within its limited resources provided timely relief to the people, took steps for their rehabilitation and transparently distributed the aid that came from foreign countries.

The biggest contribution of his government was that Pakistan was saved from default and for that his government went through a difficult phase of negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

The Managing Director IMF at one point in a meeting with him in Paris said that no time was left for revival of the programme but later an agreement was reached for loan of three billion dollars, he recalled.

The PM said in the four years of the previous government, relations were damaged with friendly and brotherly countries and long time friends of Pakistan were alienated.

He said countries like Saudi Arabia unconditionally came to the rescue of Pakistan on numerous difficult occasions in the past, provided monetary assistance to the country and gave oil on deferred payment for three years but despite all that the previous government could not maintain better ties with the brotherly country.

To a question, the prime minister said he chaired two meetings of National Security Committee and Pakistan’s then former ambassador to the United States and present foreign secretary Dr Asad Majeed told there that he sent the report of his conversation with State Department official Donald Lu in a cypher.

The ambassador told the meeting that it was never mentioned in the cypher that the United States was conspiring against the government of that time in Pakistan, he narrated.

He said PTI chief gave contradictory statements on the issue of cypher and on various occasions held different personalities and the United States responsible for removal of his government and then withdrew his accusations.

At one point PTI chairman claimed that as he was getting close to China and Russia therefore his government was removed, Shehbaz said while stressing, “It was my government that improved relations with China and Russia.”

Then PTI chief said he lost the cypher, he said adding as prime minister PTI chief could have read the cypher but he should not have taken the cypher with him as it was confidential.

“If the cypher was lost by PTI chief then how it got published now?” he wondered. adding the law enforcement agencies were investigating the matter of cypher.

Talking about foreign relations, he said his government revived badly damaged relations with the United States and he himself met with various delegations from the US and foreign minister Bilawal met the Secretary of State and US Congressmen on numerous occasion in a bid to restore ties. “I told the American ambassador in Pakistan that we wanted better relations with the United States.”

He said Pakistan as a developing country was faced with numerous challenges and should do its best to promote good ties with all countries.

To another question, he said Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC) would focus on agriculture, information technology, mineral development and water resources. He said according to the ground realities of Pakistan, it had 33 years of martial law which ultimately failed and also democratic governments which were not that strong.

So everybody should work together now to bring prosperity in the lives of the people, he said while giving reasons for forming the SIFC in which army would have a role for attracting investment.

Shehbaz said, “I am not happy that PTI chief is in jail,” adding, “Although, when we were sent to jail, PTI chief made statements that he put his political opponents in jail, then he personally victimized his opponents and asked for their mistreatment in jail by denying them facilities of bed, home food and medicine.”

“I was forced to sleep on floor and then I was made to travel in armoured personnel carrier despite problem of my backbone.”