Right to govern: ‘Khan trying to exploit Qasim Bagh stampede’

Railway minister says a new Pakistan would not be built on a dance floor

FAISALABAD:

“It is ironic that those planning to derail the democratic order in clandestine meetings in London are now willing to participate in elections,” said Minister for Railways Saad Rafiq on Monday.

He said the ‘London Plan’ had failed and no one would be allowed to derail democracy.

“The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) will complete its constitutional tenure,” he said.

He was addressing a press conference.

He said the Pakistani nation had given a mandate to the PML-N last year.

He said people’s choice in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Sindh had been respected.

He said the PML-N could have formed a government in Balochistan.



“We allowed the Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party to form the government because we believe in cooperation and collaboration,” he said.

Rafiq said the government wanted to stabilise the economy, eliminate corruption, save the faltering national institutions, improve relations with neighbouring countries and restore confidence of foreign investors in Pakistan.

He said the government had invested in alternative energy schemes for this purpose.

The minister said that the government had worked day and night to raise the value of the rupee against the dollar.

He said the government had launched the Neelum Power Project to overcome the energy crisis.

“For the last three months, the government is being criticised and its work has been paralysed,” he said.

He said Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf chief Imran Khan had failed to improve performance of his party’s government in KP.

He said after the London plan failed, Tahirul Qadri had now decided to take part in the elections.

“Imran Khan, Chaudhary brothers and Pervez Musharraf were all part of the London plan which was made to form a government of technocrats in Pakistan,” he said.

He criticised Khan for exploiting the deaths in the stampede in Multan.

He said a new Pakistan would not be built on a dance floor.

Rafique said in 2002, the PML-N joined the Opposition with 19 parliamentarians.

He said the PTI had 34 MNAs. “The PTI should play a constructive role in the parliament to improve the performance of the government,” he added.He said 500 acres of railway land had been retrieved from land mafia and 550 people were recruited in Railway Police.

He said Pakistan would continue to support the people of Kashmir. He said and no trade policy with India would be formed in haste. He said the government stood by the armed forces and said those who were criticising the army were following a fad.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 14^th, 2014.

Poll

[poll id="1362"]