Sit-ins harm country, parties: Iqbal

Minister visits Hazara Motorway ahead of inauguration

ABBOTTABAD: Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal has urged political parties to shun the politics of sit-in, saying the trend has also ruined the atmosphere of universities after penetrating all walks of life.

Talking to reporters on Wednesday in Havelian while inspecting the Hazara Motorway, which will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi on December 28, he said the sit-ins were not only harmful for the country but also tarnishing the image of the parties.

Iqbal urged Pakistan Awami Tehreek chief Tahirul Qadri to hold talks or approach the appropriate forums to get his grievances redressed as the country was facing multiple threats from its enemies and “we have to fight the terrorists on all fronts”.

He said Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz chief Nawaz Sharif was talking about a foolproof system where justice should be provided across the board so that nobody could raise a finger at verdicts of the judiciary.



The minister said the sit-in politics had hampered the country’s progress and productivity, affecting its efforts to compete with its rivals, especially India. He said the negative trend in politics could not be afforded anymore and it should be set aside in the country’s interest. He said the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) was a golden opportunity and its benefit to the country’s people must be ensured.

He said Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chief Imran Khan and other leaders who were always on a lookout for an opportunity to trigger a crisis should understand that they themselves would also not be spared from the consequences.

Iqbal, National Assembly Deputy Speaker Murtaza Javed Abbasi, PML-N Parliamentary Leader in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Assembly Aurangzeb Nulhota and other leaders expressed satisfaction on the construction of the motorway that was launched by Sharif in 2014. It will link Abbottabad with the Islamabad-Peshawar motorway and reduce the journey between Havelian and Burhan interchange.



After a briefing by the National Highway Authority chairman, the minister asked him to increase the number of trainee engineers from 23 to 123. He said the maximum number of young engineers should be employed at a stipend of Rs25,000 per month for all projects linked with CPEC. Preference in the jobs would be given to local people, he added.

He said all universities located along CPEC should be directly involved in the projects. This would help improve the capacity of the Taxila, Hazara and Abbottabad universities, he added.