Nawaz’s address directionless, bid to gain political mileage: Aitzaz

Criticising Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s recent address to the nation, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader Aitzaz Ahsan on Wednesday said it was directionless and just a bid to gain political advantages in the upcoming by-polls.

Addressing a news conference at the PPP’s Secretariat, Aitzaz said the prime minister missed a number of key issues in his speech including strategies to deal with drone attacks, terrorism, agriculture, missing persons, the water and power crises and the Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline project.

Former information minister Qamar Zaman Kaira was also present.

“Nawaz Sharif’s address to the nation was impressive without a doubt, however, no clear solutions or policy guidelines were given to redress the various challenges facing the nation,” he said.

Commenting on the offer made by the prime minister to terrorists for negotiations, the PPP leader said the statement was complex and vague.

Aitzaz said Nawaz was following the PPP’s policy of three Ds – dialogue, development and deterrence – adding however that he had missed the third D and stressed only on development and dialogue.

“What is the guarantee that terrorists will recognise the writ of the state, the constitution and will avoid conducting suicide blasts and killing a specific sect?” the PPP leader asked.

Fearing an increase in terrorism, Aitzaz said absence of a counter-terrorism policy would aggravate the situation and more killings could be expected in Quetta, Karachi, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

He said Nawaz raised objections to the delay in installation of transmission lines at Neelum Jhelum Power project, “however, the reality is that the transmission lines are installed once the project is completed (in 2018) to avoid repetitive repairs”.

Aitzaz also flayed Nawaz for pouring a large amount of money into the Nandipur Power Project that was initially worth $329 million “but now the cost has been raised four times”, adding that the government would have to be accountable for the embezzlements done later.

The PPP leader said Nawaz, while discussing the Balochistan issue, had avoided discussing the core issue of missing persons in the province, adding that the nation was also not taken on board over the Iran Pakistan gas pipeline project.

Taking the credit for the Gwadar-Kashghar road, Aitzaz said it was President Asif Ali Zardari who made efforts for the project and had visited China 12 in this connection.

“A road from Gwadar to Kashghar was constructed by the PPP government, however, a part of it was destroyed in the AttabadLake burst, and Nawaz Sharif was trying to take the credit for it,” he said.

Saying the bullet train project was a dream, the PPP leader asked how was the PML-N government going to manage to install new technology and thousands of new bridges for the project that required mega infrastructure.

Aitzaz also criticised Nawaz for avoiding talking about the agriculture policy in his speech that was the backbone of the country’s economy and was linked with all other sectors.

Kaira also grilled the premier on the issue of local bodies’ elections, saying when three provinces were ready to hold the local bodies’ elections on political grounds why was one province refusing to hold them on a non-party basis.

“Non-party local bodies elections are not called elections,” Kaira categorically challenged.

To a question, Aitzaz said the current opposition would not be friendly opposition but would play its part politely and democratically. “However, no unilateral or anti-people legislation will let be passed by the House.”

On the recent ongoing skirmishes between Pakistani and Indian militaries at the LoC, the PPP leader said his party stood shoulder to shoulder with the armed forces, but also supported improving relations with all its neighbours on the basis of principles.