PML-N's Saad Rafique calls for burying political hatchets

LAHORE:

Senior PML-N leader Khawaja Saad Rafique on Sunday called for a new Charter of Democracy and Charter of Economy, urging political reconciliation and dialogue among political parties amid rising terrorism, economic distress and deepening polarisation in the country.

Addressing a ceremony in Lahore, former federal minister Khawaja Saad Rafique said Pakistan's political stakeholders would eventually have to sit together to reduce political instability and address mounting national challenges.

"Political temperature inside Pakistan has to be brought down," he said, adding that daily incidents of violence and terrorism required a broader national consensus.

The former federal minister said both the government and opposition should evolve a consensus on key national issues, particularly security and the economy, while insisting that all political forces accepting the Constitution should be engaged politically.

He also suggested that PTI could not indefinitely avoid talks with rival political parties. "If enemies can be reconciled internationally, then political forces within Pakistan can also hold dialogue," he remarked.

Saad further called for constitutional protection for local governments, arguing that repeatedly dissolving local bodies had weakened governance and aggravated provincial grievances.

While expressing support for smaller provinces in principle, he opposed proposals focused solely on Punjab's division, saying all provinces should be treated equally.

Saad defended Nawaz Sharif's silence on his ouster, saying, "People say Nawaz Sharif does not speak. How much more should he speak? He has already paid enough price for it."

"Our party people do not speak. I do. That is why I have kept myself free," he said. Later in the speech, the PML-N leader shifted toward regional and international issues, praising Pakistan's 1998 nuclear tests and crediting the armed forces, scientists and political leadership for protecting the country's nuclear programme despite international pressure and economic difficulties at the time.