Free, fair election only way out, says Abbasi

PML-N leader meets Dr Farooq Sattar in Karachi, says country’s exiting governance model has failed

LAHORE/ KARACHI: Former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi has said the existing governance model in Pakistan has failed and the only way out of the current situation is a free and fair election.

“Pakistan should be allowed to have a free and fair election and people must be permitted to use their right to vote,” Abbasi, one of the senior leaders of the former ruling party – the PML-N – said on Friday after a meeting with the MQM-P’s former convener Dr Farooq Sattar.

Abbasi is visiting Karachi along with another PML-N senior leader Ahsan Iqbal. Both Abbasi and Iqbal were released last month after months’ long detention in connection with two separate graft inquiries initiated by the top anti-corruption authority, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).

The two leaders on Thursday also met the MQM-P main faction led by Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui. Talking with reference to his interaction with the leaders of Karachi-based party, Abbasi said it is for the first time in the country’s history that dialogue among the political parties has suspended.

He said the PML-N delegation has arrived in Karachi to meet with the MQM-P leaders on instruction of the PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif. “Pakistan cannot progress without development of Karachi.”

He said the former ruling party started a number of projects for the metropolis. However, unfortunately, the process of development initiated by the former federal government has stopped now, he added.

He said the governance model used in Pakistan has failed.

“The problems are now much more complex. We must learn a lesson from the mistakes of the past. Even PML-N made some mistakes in the past,” he said.

PML-N reaches out to MQM-Pakistan to discuss ‘new governance model'

Speaking on the occasion, Dr Farooq Sattar welcomed the PML-N delegation and said the country could not bear a political chaos right now. He, however, criticized the PTI government, which, he said, has failed to provide relief to the people.

“Investment has suspended while thousands of people have been rendered homeless and jobless. Inflation is at its peak while common citizens have been devastated. There is a need to come up with a national agenda with a particular focus on the economy,” he said.

He said the government must call an all political parties conference and formulate a national agenda. “We have sought support from the PML-N with regards to recovery of the missing persons of Karachi. Like Balochistan, the government must announce a general amnesty for people of Karachi,” he added.

Protest against govt

Separately, the PML-N Punjab President Rana Sanaullah said if the exiting situation continued for six more months, there is possibility of street protests in Pakistan that may lead to anarchy.

“The policies and behaviour of Prime Minister Imran Khan have devastated everything including the economy and made life of the poor extremely difficult,” he said.

The former law minister was speaking to media outside the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Lahore office after appearing before NAB investigators in connection with a assets beyond means case.

He said there is a need to develop consensus among all the political parties. “That is why the PML-N senior leaders are visiting Karachi,” he said.

Sanaullah claimed that all parties are going to launch protest against the PTI government. “We have proposed a joint agitation in order to achieve the desired results,” he said.