Nawaz urges healing ties with ‘upset neighbours’

LAHORE:

 

Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif has stressed repairing diplomatic ties with neighbouring nations, including India, Afghanistan and Iran, saying that Pakistan’s global credibility hinged on amicable relations with nations the country shared borders with.

He said a country cannot expect to be taken seriously on a global stage if neighbouring countries are upset with it.

Speaking at the sixth session of the party's parliamentary board in Lahore on Saturday, the three-time former prime minister said that improving ties with India, Afghanistan, and Iran, and strengthening ties with China was on his party's agenda.

Recalling the events of 1999, Nawaz said his government opposed the Kargil war, noting that subsequent hindsight validated that he was right and just in taking that stance.

Clarifying that their stance during Kargil wasn't a sign of weakness, he emphasised that when it comes to matters of national interest and security, they've not shied away from tough decisions in the past, such as conducting atomic tests despite unsettling world powers, to make Pakistan invincible.

Read PML-N on Cloud 9 over Nawaz's acquittal

 

Reflecting on his accomplishments in foreign relations, Nawaz Sharif posed a question highlighting a significant diplomatic achievement. He asked, "During whose tenure did two Indian prime ministers visit Pakistan? First Atal Bihari Vajpayee and later Narendra Modi."

Making a generic statement, Nawaz said that those responsible for the country's current state ought to face accountability. However, unlike his previous address on Friday, he stayed clear from taking names, leading many to interpret this as a return to his initial stance on accountability. This address dispelled that aforesaid impression.

Nawaz Sharif, who was all praises for his own tenure, said that Pakistan was progressing socially and finically under his rules till 2017, when development was at its peak. He lamented a shift in trajectory post-2017, describing a downturn in the country's fortunes.

He said the country had entered a period of stability, to the extent that anticipations arose predicting a PML-N victory in the next elections.

However, he pointed out that some factors intervened to hinder Pakistan's aspirations for growth, bringing progress to a standstill.

Read Nawaz prioritises accountability over power

Nawaz specifically referenced the previous government, implicitly referring to the PTI's tenure, alleging a decline in the economy marked by diminishing GDP growth and a weakening currency.

During his governance, Nawaz Sharif asserted that the Pakistani rupee remained stable. However, he highlighted a subsequent decline that persisted until Shehbaz Sharif assumed control.

Nawaz credited Shehbaz Sharif with orchestrating a turnaround, averting a potential sovereign default and steering the situation towards stability.

Nawaz Sharif either on purpose or inadvertently took a jibe at mainly his younger brother Shehbaz, who was sitting on his right side, regarding the public commitment made by Shehbaz about ending load shedding within six months.

Nawaz Sharif said, “While I was canvassing, I was told by Ishaq Dar Shehbaz Sharif to claim that he would end load shedding in either six months or one year”.

 

 

He said that he was not in the habit of misleading, deceiving and tricking his people, adding that he refused to show any rosy picture to his voters.

He mentioned being cautioned about the repercussions of such honesty, warning that it might dishearten people.

Nawaz Sharif said making such claims would put his credibility on the line and added that such claims can make or destroy one’s credibility.

The ex-prime minister mentioned that despite being transparent with the public about ending load shedding within his tenure, not promising a swift resolution in one year or six months, people still voted for him.

It is pertinent to mention here that Shehbaz Sharif was in the habit of making such tall pompous claims, a behaviour his elder brother referred to as deceitful and fraudulent.

Shehbaz has not only pledged to resolve the issue of load shedding within six months in 2013 but also made assurances of stabilising the country's economy within the same timeframe before toppling the PTI government.

Nawaz Sharif, addressing ticket aspirants from Attock, Jehlum, Chakwal and Talagung, said that their first priority should be to resolve the issues of poverty and unemployment.

Read Nawaz prioritises accountability over power

He mentioned that during his first term, the challenge was load shedding, whereas currently, the issue stemmed from price hikes created by the Imran Khan government.

This was the second time Nawaz attributed the issue of electricity prices to Imran Khan.

A day earlier, Nawaz said that electricity prices were high due to the decision of PTI’s government to transfer 190 million pounds into the Supreme Court account instead of the government exchequer.

Nawaz’s criticism of Imran Khan for electricity prices was not without reason, given that it was his own rule between 2013 to 17 that is blamed for bringing Independent Power Producers to the country and giving them astronomical tariffs for supplying electricity that have led to an unbearable increase in accusative electricity prices.

Going forward in the next year, especially in summer, these prices are expected to wreak havoc on households of all classes expected uber rich.