LAHORE: Railways Minister Khawaja Saad Rafique on Wednesday said that the meeting between Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and Chief Justice of Pakistan Saqib Nisar was held in the larger interest of the country.
Addressing a press conference here at Pakistan Railways Headquarters, he said that some elements are portraying the meeting in a negative manner, adding that dialogue between heads of institutions expressed the rule of law and the constitution.
He said that judiciary gets strength from democratic system and an independent and impartial judiciary could take the country forward.
“Nobody is demanding any concession and no one is giving concession to any one”, he said and added that dialogues were important for running state affairs.
He said that the enemies of the country must be laughing at the situation of the country, adding that confrontation among institutions would not strengthen the country.
Rafique remarked that only two months are left in the completion of current tenure of the government and the political temperature is rising.
Commenting on a section of media, he said that media trial is being launched against him and his family. “My family is being targeted which has been serving the nation since the day one and it had never taken any plot, quota, loan or other benefit,” he clarified.
The minister said that he had submitted details of his property to the Supreme Court (SC) and National Accountability Bureau (NAB) with affidavit.
He said that if NAB would ask more questions, he would definitely try to answer those questions.
“We have nothing to hide, everything is clear and transparent,” he reaffirmed. He said that his stance on NAB is open and clear, adding that it is a black law which has consistently been used to snub political opponents.
“Whenever the slogan of accountability was raised, its targets were some other things,” he said.
The minister stated that he had already said that both large political parties are equally responsible for the NAB law and these parties have failed in addressing the issue.
“My brother Khawaja Salman Rafique and I performed in the relevant departments with dedication and hard work,” he said and added that performance of these institutions is an evidence of this hard work.
He said that income of the Railways Department has been raised from Rs18 billion to Rs30 billion. “We will continue our struggle without quarreling with anyone as Pakistan cannot afford a clash,” he added.
“Let the people decide who is wrong and who is right and trust in the collective wisdom of the masses,” he said. He said that he is against privatisation of the Railways but Private Public Partnership is need of the hour.
Responding to a question, he said that Chaudhary Nisar should not detach himself from the party as he had contributed a lot but political differences within the party should not be discussed publicly or on media.
“Zardari and Imran coalition will damage their parties, however, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) should accept that it had voted Pakistan People’s Party’s candidate in the Senate elections,” he concluded.