Next elections in 15 months, says PM

ANKARA:

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has said that the next general elections in Pakistan will be held within 15 months and his goal during the time will be to address the dual challenges of inflation and poverty.

“My vision is to rebuild Pakistan and try my best to decrease poverty and cut the budget of the government sector to ensure austerity,” he said in an interview with Turkish state-television TRT, during his three-day visit to Ankara.

The premier stated that his current government would take short-term measures to address the problems faced by the masses ahead of the elections. However, he emphasised that if his party returned to power, a full-fledged development agenda would be launched to deal with issues such as unemployment and poverty.

The prime minister further said that the global hike in prices of fuel had compelled his government to increase the cost of oil and gas.

Regarding the political situation in Pakistan, PM Shehbaz stated that for the first time in the country’s history, a no-confidence vote had succeeded.

“This is a constitutional and legal transition which has been provided in the Constitution. It is a big step forward, rather a quantum jump,” he said.

He stressed that in the future, the no-confidence motion would be an acceptable norm in Pakistan and that a majority of parliamentarians should be allowed to vote freely under the law if they are against a particular government.

He highlighted that in the past, similar situations had led to martial laws and military interventions. “But now, this has changed the entire ballgame and must be supported,” he said.

PM Sharif said that Pakistan was engaged with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to put the country’s economy on the right track as it had “suffered greatly in the last three years”.

Relations with Turkey

According to PM Shehbaz, Pakistan and Turkey were pursuing regional cooperation with immense understanding and unity between the two countries’ leaderships.

Deeming his Ankara visit “phenomenal”, he said that the people-to-people bond between the two nations was grounded in history.

“The relationship between our forefathers has become a permanent brotherhood for the days to come,” he said, mentioning the pre-partition era where Muslims of the Indian sub-continent supported the Turkish movement.

On Pakistan-Turk defence ties, he stated that Pakistan desired collaboration in military projects and that the launch of MILGEM – a national warship program of Turkey – was in line with that vision.

Regarding the target of achieving $5 billion in trade with Turkey, the premier said the objective was to expand the scope of trade and investment in diverse fields for the benefit of both countries.

On Turkey’s anti-terrorism steps in Syria, he said that since Pakistan had been a victim of terrorism and it supported the Turkish leadership in their efforts to eradicate the menace.

Moreover, PM Sharif emphasised a trilateral arrangement between China, Pakistan and Turkey, urging the latter to join the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

“The participation of Turkey in CPEC will translate into regional economic prosperity of the region,” he said, adding that he had proposed the same to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

He maintained Turkey’s vast expertise in road infrastructure and energy projects could better the multi-billion regional project.

Read more PM Shehbaz's visit to bring new dimension to bilateral ties: Turkish FM

To a question pertaining to Pakistan maintaining a balance between Turkey and the Gulf states, he expressed satisfaction that Turkey’s relationship with Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates had improved.

“This is important for global peace and will become very fruitful for the entire region,” he said.

Foreign relations

The prime minister said Islamabad would support subjugated nations, including Kashmiris and Palestinians, struggling for their rights.

“It is not a question of Israel or India, but of showing moral support for such people. Peace will not return to the region until their demands are addressed,” he said.

On the country’s position on the Russian invasion of Ukraine, he said, “Our unwavering stance is that we stand for independent rights of societies,” he said, stressing the need for both parties to come to the negotiation table. APP