Social order cannot be compromised for rule of law: Kakar

Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar said on Saturday that social order can “never ever be compromised for the rule of law”, stressing a balance between the two.

“We are committed and understand that the performance and the participatory idea of democracy is what is needed but at the same time, you have to strike a balance — there’s a rule of law and then there’s a rule of order,” he said, during an interactive session with students of Harvard University in Islamabad.

He expressed Pakistan's determination to establish a collaborative partnership with the United States stating that if any nation or society has to remain connected with the global unfolding, particularly in the realm of technology and research and development, it could not divorce itself from North America.

Acknowledging the strides made by the US in the field of knowledge and skills over the last two hundred years, he said the rest of the world needs to benefit and learn from it. He added that Pakistan is very positive towards its relationship with the US and the two nations have a history of mutual relations.

According to Kakar, there are convergences and divergences in this relationship. He said one area where we have a commonality of views is climate change, which is becoming an existential threat to every state.

Pakistan sees the US as a great power but at the same time wants to see it turn itself into a major power. We want to partner that journey of greatness along with the US, he said.

Tracing the history of the Pak-US relationship, Kakar regretted that we failed to articulate Pakistan's contributions towards global peace, security as well as economic and financial institutions.

When asked about the economic situation, Kakar said that the caretaker government is trying to contribute during its limited stint to document the economy and enhance the tax net.

He added that the government will also focus on investing in human resources. Pakistan is gifted with natural resources, he said, adding that these not only include minerals but also its talented people.

Kakar expressed the confidence that Pakistan would come out of the economic quagmire.

Responding to a student's question, Kakar pointed out that the country has witnessed three successive completion of the parliament's terms over the last 15 years.

The members of the parliament have the inherent right to replace a government, said Kakar, adding that Pakistan is committed to and understands that the performance and participatory idea of democracy is needed and will encourage it.