MULTAN: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Shahid Khaqan Abbasi on Saturday ruled out any sort of deal between former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), saying Nawaz would never demand an NRO [National Reconciliation Ordinance].
Speaking to journalists in Multan, ex-PM Abbasi claimed that Nawaz Sharif has never demanded an NRO and would not do so in the future. He was responding to reports of Nawaz reaching a deal with the government under which he would be able to leave the country by February.
Abbasi maintained that Nawaz would continue his political struggle, adding that the opposition failed to “prove” corruption charges against him in the court of law.
Commenting on the PTI government’s anti-graft drive, he said half of the members of Prime Minister Imran Khan’s cabinet will go to jail if a probe is launched against them.
He said the prime minister and federal ministers had been telling lies in parliament. “The government has lost people’s confidence within five months.”
Lashing out at the government, he said it took record loans in just five months, adding that the growth rate, which was “5.3 per cent during the previous government”, has gone down as well.
The PML-N leader said his party presented a constitutional amendment in parliament for the creation of two provinces, adding that new provinces could be carved out if the PTI desired so. He said the previous PML-N government carried out a lot of development work in south Punjab.
“The incumbent government won’t be able to keep up with our [PML-N’s] government’s pace of carrying out development work.”
Slamming the withdrawal of Hajj subsidy, he said the government couldn’t even provide relief to the pilgrims and demanded that the government should cut Hajj expenses. He said his party would let the PTI complete its term in power.
