ISLAMABAD – Explaining the intentions behind the statement of Punjab chief minister Shahbaz Sharif regarding national conference, PML-N spokesman Ahsan Iqbal on Wednesday said the PML-N did not invite the military to control the country and neither did it try to sabotage democracy. Addressing a news conference at the PML-N secretariat, Ahsan said the PML-N never tried to grab power through unconstitutional means like NRO, as it believed in public power.
“We believe in democracy which requires sincerity and public confidence,” he said. He said that there were three pillars of democracy which included legislature, executive and judiciary and each of them could play an important role in the progress of the country. He said PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif brought the aforementioned pillars on same platform during his tenure. “Shahbaz also tried to bring them together for a national agenda, but unfortunately his advice had been taken negatively,” he added.
Ahsan said the PML-N had given sacrifices for the superiority of the civil and democratic departments and it could not think about military rule. “We didn’t invite any general to stage a coup like the MQM” he said, adding that President Asif Ali Zardari met General Kyani many times in the Presidency, but no one put allegations against him. He said the military and judiciary were playing their role and it was necessary to take them on board. Ahsan said the government was unable to understand anything positive.
Reacting to remarks by Law Minister Babar Awan about Shahbaz Sharif, he said it was unfortunate that despite PML-N’s sacrifices for the restoration of democracy and ouster of General (r) Pervez Musharraf, it was being labelled an anti-democracy party. He said Awan himself was convicted in fake degree issue and had no reason to accuse the PML-N leadership. Ahsan urged the government to remove all corrupt officials appointed to key posts in various government corporations, else the PML-N parliamentarians would stage sit-ins outside all such corporations.
