- State minister says PM Shahid Khaqan is Nawaz’s choice, has trust of eitire PML-N
State Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb on Friday said that Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi is the choice of former prime minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif and has trust of the entire party.
Talking to a private TV channel, she said that Prime Minister Khaqan would move forward in conformity with the vision of the former prime minister for completing the unfinished agenda of the previous government and the development projects initiated by it.
“All the projects initiated by the previous government will be completed at fast pace and PML-N will implement its manifesto by 2018,” she said. She said that there would be no change in the foreign, economic and security policies of the previous government.
She said that the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), economic development, security, regional peace and the law and order situation in Karachi were the top most priority areas of the new government, headed by Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan.
She said that the former prime minister was contemplating to expand the cabinet for quite some time as it was the last mandated year of the PML-N government and the party wanted to go into 2018 general election on the basis of its performance.
To a question about foreign policy, she said the new cabinet would continue the policies of the former prime minister. Marriyum said that Khawaja Muhammad Asif would be an effective foreign minister and he would carry forward the vision of the former prime minister regarding regional peace and good rapport with neighbouring countries.
About replacement of former minister for planning and development Ahsan Iqbal as interior minister, she said he (Ahsan) had the capacity and capability to perform in every ministry. To another question about electing Shehbaz Sharif as the new prime minister, she said that all such issues would be decided in the parliamentary party meeting of PML-N. Whosoever was the prime minister, this cabinet would carry the PML-N to the next general polls, she said.
About energy projects, she said Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan would make all out efforts to fulfill the promise of Nawaz Sharif to end load-shedding from Pakistan by 2018. She said that the new cabinet represented the entire country, adding that all cabinets in the world were political but what mattered was their actual performance.
The state minister said that the former prime minister would go to Lahore through Motorway and the former interior minister was personally supervising all the arrangements in that regard. To a question, he said that the PML-N had a number of talented women in its rank.
She said that Prime Minister’s Youth Programme was being handled by Laila Khan, and Marvi Memon was in charge of BISP while Polio Programme was being supervised by Aeysha Raza. About Daniyal Aziz, she said that he had himself clarified that he would accept the decision of the party leadership.
Marriyum said that development fund were given through the representatives of the people and during the last four years huge development funds had been given to the members of the parliament. Answering a question, she said that the decision to appoint Khaqan Abbasi for 45 days was taken by the parliamentary party and the same body would decide whether he should continue till 2018 or not.
She said that the whole country knew on what ground the former prime minister had been disqualified. She reiterated that Nawaz Sharif was the leader of the PML-N and would continue to lead and guide the party.