PML-N President Nawaz Sharif has said nobody, including the government, has the courage to stop PML-N’s proposed long march, demanding immediate elections to take the country out of the mess created by the rulers. In an exclusive interview, the PML-N chief stressed that the establishment must not take sides and should avoid supporting any political party. He said the PML-N had several solutions to the ongoing electricity crisis and vowed to resolve the issue, which has affected every citizen, within six months of coming to power.
He pointed out that machinery of one power plant was lying at Karachi port while that of another has been dumped at Chicho ki Malian. If these plants had been made operational, 1100MW of electricity could have been added to the system. He said the sugar mills would provide 2500MW while load shedding could be done away with if the circular debt issue was resolved.
He said their protest against load shedding, price hike, unemployment, corruption and maladministration went on and non implementation of court verdicts had been added to the protest.
Nawaz said if the government was not implementing the orders of the Supreme Court, it should lock down all the state institutions. He said the prime minister had made a mockery of his office and no one expected something good from the incumbent rulers. He said democracy could not succeed when institutions were not respected. He stressed that the whole struggle of his party was aimed at ensuring the rule of law. Nawaz said he had no personal grudge against Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani. “However, he cannot compromise on principles as any deal with the ruling party would be an injustice to the nation.”
The PML-N president said it would be a matter of shame for the nation if NATO supplies were restored without an apology and an end to drone strikes.
To a question, Nawaz said the government had borrowed more money that the money borrowed in the past 60 years.
Nawaz strongly opposed the increase in the tenure of the assembly, saying there was no justification for it. He said extension in the assembly tenure could be done only if there was any emergency or the country had been hit by some major natural calamity.
He said the chief election commissioner must be appointed in consultation with the prime minister and leader of the opposition. Similarly, other contentious issues should be settled through the process of consultation.
To another question about reference to NAB by the interior minister for reopening of cases against him, the PML-N chief said the government was upset and looking for every way to pressurise the opposition. He said he had not received any notice as yet and as and when received, he would take a decision.
He said the PML-N contacted the PTI and Jamaat-e-Islami before taking a decision about the long march. He said they responded that the party should first resign from the assemblies.
Nawaz said it would be unwise to resign from the assemblies because that would give a free hand to the government and people would be denied of whatever little they were getting.
He said if the opposition resigned, those suggesting the very thing would complain that elections were not free because a partisan person would be appointed chief election commissioner in the absence of the opposition. Without naming anybody, Nawaz made it clear that those who conspired against the party would not be taken back in its fold.
