Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf on Saturday said completion of five-year tenure by the coalition government against various odds is a testimony of the fact that politics in Pakistan has matured and no one can harm it.
Addressing a public meeting in Chakwal, he said democracy is the future of the country and no one could snatch it.
The PM said media and judiciary were talking about democracy in the country and military leadership was also pro-democracy.
He said he held talks with the political leaders on Friday and they all agreed on democracy in the country. The premier said there is no other way, but democracy. He said that after the next five years of the elected government‚ democracy would be strengthened further.
The PM assured that elections would be held on time and there would be no delay. He said elections were a trust of the people and these would be returned to the people and whoever voted to power would serve the people.
He said PPP founder Zulfikar Ali Bhutto gave a role to the people in the politics. He said reconciliation policy of the Pakistan People’s Party would continue. He said slain PPP chairwoman Benazir Bhutto gave this vision in 2008 to meet challenges and for a prosperous country. He said President Asif Zardari had implemented the vision of Benazir Bhutto and made a coalition government.
He accepted all demands of the people relating to the development of the area. He also ordered officials concerned to immediately start work on the development projects of the area.
Democracy a must for progress, says Nawaz
President of his own faction of the Pakistan Muslim League, Nawaz Sharif, on Saturday said that the country could not move on path of development and progress without democracy. The PML-N president was talking to Jamiat Ah-e-Hadith chief Senator Sajid Mir who called on Nawaz at Raiwind. During the meeting, both leaders discussed prevailing political situation and other current issues of the country. They also agreed to cooperate in strengthening democracy and resolving problems in the future. They also demanded that the government hold upcoming general polls on scheduled time. During the meeting, Nawaz said institutions of the country could not be strengthened without democracy. He said that “remote-controlled people” were befooling the masses by talking of electoral reforms and bringing change in the country, adding that their nefarious agenda would be foiled. The PML-N chief said that democracy would be protected at any cost and general elections would be held on time. He said that undemocratic forces brought the country to the brink of destruction which gave rise to terrorism, inflation and unemployment, adding that only democracy could safeguard the integrity of the country.