KARACHI: Opposition leader and President of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz Shehbaz Sharif on Monday reiterated his proposal for the formation of a national unity government to help jointly face the challenges posed to the country.
“Pakistan is facing many problems and challenges. No single party can face the challenges we are facing. My view is that we can deal with these challenges only by forming a national government,” Shehbaz Sharif said while speaking to senior journalists here after paying regards at the mausoleum of the father of the nation Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah in Karachi.
Calling for ensuring press freedom, Shehbaz Sharif said that no party in the parliament could support the black law that suppresses the voice of the media.
“Pakistan is being criticized due to the black law aimed at media curbs. We are trying to resist the black law aimed at media curbs. When Imran Khan was in opposition, he was the darling of the media. No one gave freedom to media. We will fight against black law with all our might to thwart it,” he asserted.
Shehbaz Sharif said that his proposal to form a national government in the country was a way forward as no single party can take the country out of problems alone.
“My opinion is that if we get a chance in the upcoming election, we should form a national government,” he said.
Sharif said that he had been stigmatized for calling for national reconciliation.
“Those blaming me for calling for national reconciliation should tell me what benefit did I get for national reconciliation. I received many offers in the past 35 years of politics,” said Sharif.
Shehbaz Sharif also admitted that his family also had committed blunders in the past.
Shehbaz Sharif said that he did not believe that any past regime had full support of the ‘establishment’.
“No government in the past even enjoyed 30% support of the establishment. We all should be ashamed before father of the nation Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah. We ignored his guiding principles. The souls of Quaid-e-Azam and millions of martyrs would be unhappy today. So, the only way forward is to follow the principles of the founder of Pakistan,” he asserted.
He said that Allah Almighty has given us Pakistan as a reward and Quaid-e-Azam dreamed of making Pakistan a welfare state.
“It is a shame that we have forgotten the guiding principles of the Quaid and adopted a course of action which resulted in the dismembering of Pakistan,” he added.
Shehbaz Sharif said that Pakistan had to lead the Muslim countries to achieve a prominent position in the comity of nations.
“But today, we are far from our destination,” he added.
Brushing aside the impression that while in power, he never visited Mazar-e-Quaid. He said as long as smaller provinces do not develop like Punjab, it will not be called development of Pakistan.
