Politics of the ’80s and ’90s not to work: Nawaz

 

LAHORE: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Wednesday said that some leaders were engaging in the politics of the ’80s and ’90s, but it had become obsolete now and no one will pay attention to their false accusations.
Addressing a ceremony to mark ‘Youm-e-Takbeer’, the prime minister said those holding protests and rallies should shun the politics of the ’80s and ’90s and wait for four years to let the people decide who they wanted to elect as their rulers. “The politics of delivering and fulfilling peoples’ promises will now work and not that of the ’80s and ’90s,” he maintained.

Nawaz said he could not comprehend the agendas of those embarking on long marches as he wondered on whose agenda they were working and for what purpose. “After four years, our performance will be before the people who will decide through the ballot who deserves to rule them and can deliver.”

He questioned whether these elements were taking the course of agitation because of the development projects of his government which they wanted to impede.

The prime minister said Pakistan was aspiring for good relations with neighbouring countries in the interest of securing peace and development inthe region. They wanted to eliminate terrorism and establish peace in the region with ideal ties with the neighbours to achieve the objective, he added.

He said his visit to India was successful and the affairs were moving on in the right direction, adding that Pakistan would become a centre of peace very soon.

Nawaz said the government wanted every province to enjoy the fruits of development and no part of the country would remain backward for which they were struggling while rising above the politics. He said his government had the potential to translate Pakistan into the dreams of Quaid-i-Azam and Allama Iqbal into reality, but regrettably, whenever they tried to move ahead, others started pulling their legs.

The prime minister said the government could achieve the target of development, progress and prosperity within 10 years provided it was allowed to work uninterruptedly. He said after Pakistan had become self-sufficient in defence and the focus of the government was on economic development for which they were making untiring efforts.

The premier said there should be no politics on the government endeavours regarding ending poverty, terrorism and revamping economy.Nawaz regretted that an atomic power should not have its economy in a shambles, poverty, unemployment and extremism like that in Pakistan. However, he said, his government was determined to turn around the situation and end the problems.

He promised to overcome the energy crisis and lower the electricity tariff, saying the government launched many projects to produce electricity from hydel, solar, coal and other sources.“My government has barely completed a year when a number of power plants have been set up in the country which is a major breakthrough,” he said, adding they had a futuristic approach on producing energy in view of the industrial and domestic needs after the 20/25 years.

In this regard, he especially cited the ventures launched with the Chinese assistance and the Thar coal project.Nawaz informed the gathering that the work on Lahore-Karachi Motorway was to be started soon and an amount of Rs50 billion had already been released to acquire land for the purpose.He was very confident while saying all energy and other projects would be completed during his tenure.

Staying away from politics only way to preserve army’s pride

ISLAMABAD: Echoes of an inter-institutional tiff are in the air in the wake of some recent harsh comments passed by two federal ministers, followed by a rare statement by the army chief which was apparently made in the backdrop of Musharraf’s indictment by a trial court on treason charges.
While many analysts have taken the army chief’s statement as a warning shot for the Sharif government, khaki circles say the COAS was compelled to react to growing discontent within his institution over the harsh comments passed by the defence minister and the railways minister against an ex-army chief, which were tantamount to hurting the institutional pride of the army. While sticking to their guns, however, the ministers have maintained that the only person responsible for hurting the army’s institutional pride was none other than Musharraf who had indulged his institution in politics and thus made it controversial.

The Defence Minister, Khawaja Mohammad Asif, has described parliament the most powerful institution of the country, the Railways Minister Khawaja Saad Rafiq has said that no one can stop him from criticising the military dictators. The government circles say Musharraf is not being tried by the government but by the judiciary in accordance with the law of the land for abrogating the Constitution twice. Even otherwise, they say, being the head of a political party, Musharraf was no more a part of the army and thus no institution or entity should try to manipulate the institution of judiciary by making uncalled-for statements.

Speaking to the Special Services Group (SSG) Commandos at the Ghazi Base near Tarbela, General Raheel Sharif said on April 8 that “Pakistan Army upholds the sanctity of all institutions and will resolutely preserve its own dignity and institutional pride”. His statement was considered quite significant in both the Khaki and the government circles given the fact that before being appointed the COAS, he did not make public statements in his 35-year career, thereby suggesting that he had little interest in politics and that he would be a safe choice for the key slot of the army chief. He was thus elevated as the COAS by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif while superseding two more-senior generals.

However, General Raheel Sharif, who is considered to be a professional soldier and a man of few words who has rarely spoken on non-professional issues even after being made the COAS, has not only broken his silence on the issue of Gen Pervez Musharraf’s treason trial but has also warned critics against undermining the military’s institutional morale. In his comments at the Ghazi Base in Tarbela, General Raheel Sharif regretted the timing of the campaign to ‘malign the military as an institution’ at a time when the country is faced with multiple internal and external challenge. ISPR statement noted that the army chief had made these remarks in response to “the concerns of soldiers on undue criticism of the institution (of Army) in recent days”.

While the army chief might have tried to cool down the sentiments of some of the SSG commandos by making these remarks, there are those in the government circles who believe that he has actually tried to assert the authority of the military as an institution at a time when a former COAS has been indicted by a trial court on treason charges.

It is for the first time that General Raheel has issued a statement which is being described by analysts as an obvious indication of the growing differences between the civilian and military leadership. The statement was made at a time when the government was expecting the army to maintain its institutional neutrality during the proceedings of the treason case against Pervez Musharraf.

The top brass of the army has already endorsed the views expressed by the army chief during the four-hour-long corp commanders conference, held in Rawalpindi on April 9. Subsequent media reports have stated that the commanders expressed solidarity with the COAS and articulated their confidence in his leadership. It has also been reported that the generals were upset with the government for having been unfairly criticised by the federal ministers and for proceeding with the so-called peace talks with the Taliban despite their reservations. These developments have in fact dispelled the impression of the civil-military leadership being on the same page which was being created by the government circles ever since the appointment of General Raheel as the army chief on November 27, 2013.

That was the second time that Nawaz Sharif, being the prime minister, had ignored the seniority rule while appointing the army chief. Earlier, Nawaz had elevated Musharraf as COAS out of turn by superseding the senior-most Lt Gen Ali Kuli Khan Khattak, a move which had backfired when Musharraf seized power in a counter coup in October 1999, after being sacked by Sharif and replaced by the then ISI chief, Lt Gen Ziauddin Butt. It is an open secret that the army has directly or indirectly ruled Pakistan for more than half the years since its independence.

In fact, in the very first decade after Pakistan came into being in 1947, the army became a politicised force — the power behind the throne in politics and, therefore, soon seized control. Subsequently, the army chiefs kept intervening frequently to impose martial laws for protracted periods; the coups of Generals Ayub Khan and Yahya Khan were followed by a pro-Jehad Zia regime that lasted 12 years and the so-called anti-Jihad Musharraf regime, which consumed nine more years of Pakistan’s life. Having tasted political power, the army has simply ceased to be apolitical. Despite repeated pledges by General Ashfaq Kayani and General Raheel Sharif to keep their institution away from politics and to make it apolitical, the army keeps influencing the national politics in one way or the other.

Analysts believe the Pakistan Army’s agenda of remaining the most powerful actor in national politics has received some irreparable setbacks in the last few years, starting with the May 2011 covert raid in Abbottabad that killed Osama bin Laden and left the Khakis hugely embarrassed. They believe that the decision of the COAS to finally speak up was meant to restore the institutional pride of the Pakistan Army.

Yet they are of the view that the army chief would have received enormous public support had he made public his concern over the ongoing peace talks with terrorists [who have killed over 50,000 civilians and security forces personnel] instead of trying to side with Musharraf who was responsible for indulging the army in politics and thus hurting its dignity and pride. Thus, the only legitimate way for the Pakistan Army to preserve its dignity and institutional pride is to stay away from national politics and focus on its professional responsibility of defending the geographical frontiers of the country.

Aamir will never join politics

Set to launch the second season of his TV show "Satyamev Jayate", leading Bollywood actor Aamir Khan Friday said he is not interested in joining politics, and does not consider himself a social activist either.

"I don't belong to the field of politics, won't be able to do well in politics. Why does one enter politics, to contribute to the society... I can contribute to the society from where I am. This is why I would not join politics," said Aamir while interacting with women journalists at Indian Women's Press Corps (IWPC).

The actor, whose "Satyamev Jayate" has raised several social issues, also said he did not consider himself a social activist.

"I don't see myself as a social activist. An activist is one who takes up a cause close to his heart and lives with that. I an an entertainer and a creative person..." he said.

He said as an entertainer, his responsibility includes bringing grace to society and building a moral fabric.

Asked if he supports any political party, the actor said: "I don't see any such party which I feel would change a lot of things if it comes to a majority."

He however said that he liked the idea of "swaraj" given by Arvind Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party.



"I agree with their concept of 'swaraj'. This is the only party which says they people would be a part of deciding how they rule... but the reason I don't support any party is that even AAP has to be tested. I am not in a rush to support any party. Don't want to have a knee jerk reaction," said Aamir who had supported the Anna Hazare movement.

"And elections should be free and fair, who am I to influence the people," he added.

On a question on the violence against north Indians by Raj Thackeray's Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, Aamir said he was against any violence or forceful shutdowns.

"Any political party which uses power and muscle in the country is wrong. Earlier during the struggle for independence, Gandhiji would say people to boycott something and they would do it voluntarily," he said, questioning use of force to stop people from leaving their houses.

"They burn buses, use violence. It just indicates hooliganism. You are just a goon. It's not got any ground support," he said.

Veena Malik to enter politics, joins PTI

 

LONDON: Veena Malik has announced that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) will be her party of preference when she joins practical politics in Pakistan.
The actress and commentator, who is in London these days with her husband Asad Khan Khattak, said this during a meet the press here organised by the leading organisation of Pakistani newsmen in Britain- Pakistan Journalists Association (PJA).

She was all the praise for Imran Khan’s party and said that she believes efforts should be made to get Pakistan rid of corruption and the PTI has that programme against corruption. PJA’s President Wajahat Ali Khan moderated the question and answer session in which a large number of leading Pakistani community figures also participated.

One of the reasons why Veena Malik has fondness for the PTI is the fact that her hubby is a long-standing PTI supporter. “Asad has always been part of the PTI family and I now I am also part of the same extended family. This is the platform for us. I come from a military background but my father always wanted me to enter politics. My father-in-law is also of the same view, he is a supporter of Imran Khan too. So the whole family is basically the PTI family.”

She announced that she would be travelling to Pakistan in the end of March and the couple would meet the veteran Rawalpindi politician Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed for tea. “Sheikh Rasheed sb is also part of the PTI family so it will be good to have tea with him.”

Asad Khattak quipped that since Sheikh Rasheed had extended invitation to Veena Malik for tea several years ago — which the actress had then reportedly turned down — meeting the fiery politician will make his wish come true.

When questioned about wearing Pakistan’s traditional scarf — Dupatta style — Veena Malik said that she had decided to take scarf out of her personal choice and nobody had forced her into it. “Those who know me know that Veena Malik cannot be forced or coerced into doing things against her will. This is a personal decision and it doesn’t mean that I am making a political statement or want to send out a message. It’s true that my family and friends have supported me in many decisions that I have made in my life. Now I am married and living a happy life. I am a Pakistani Muslim and I am proud of my identity. I have always supported Pakistan whether in India or elsewhere and I will always do that.”

She revealed that it’s her desire to masters in Islamic studies. “I have told Asad that I want to do Masters in Islamic studies and that he should help me get admission so that I could do my Masters degree.”

Aamir Khan: Not into politics; we bring joy to people

According to the Press Trust of India Bollywood superstar Aamir Khan says he has no ambitions towards embarking upon a political career and claims there are other ways to serve the country. The Press Trust of India quoted the ‘Dhoom 3’ star as saying, "I am not shying away from politics. I am not interested in politics. I am interested in touching people's heart." "People enter politics because they want to serve the country and ...