Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Shah Mehmood Qureshi said amidst tension in the political atmosphere of the country, political parties should understand each other’s points of view to ease it.
He was addressing an All Parties Conference on Saturday.
The PTI leader said that besides the political atmosphere of the country, institutions have also been affected, adding that “institutes are politicised and affected by nepotism, which is why they cannot perform efficiently.”
The former foreign minister added such corrupt practices in the country’s institutions were holding it back from progressing. However, he cautioned, “There is also no transparent system [in place] to put an end to [this] corruption.”
“The democratic setup of the country is also threatened due to lack of tolerance. Democracy creates a balanced atmosphere, but actions held under it are not trusted,” he said.
Discussing elections, the PTI leader said people always raised concerns over elections that have been held so far.
“Over 20 political parties have raised concerns over general elections of 2013,” he said. “There is a need to create an independent election commission that everyone can trust.”
Commenting on the recent sit-ins in the country, Qureshi said a democratic setup allows peaceful protests; however, “When peaceful protests are hindered, incidents happen—such as those that took place in Model Town in 2014.”