Dialogue our priority, not deadlock

PML-N President Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif was Monday elected as 23rd chief executive of Pakistan after 174 lawmakers polled their voted in his favor in the National Assembly. Shehbaz was nominated after the ouster Imran Khan from the office in a no-confidence resolution moved against him by the then joint opposition. Ayaz Sadiq of PML-N chaired NA session, as Deputy Speaker Qasim Suri refused to further conduct the proceedings. Announcing the results, Sadiq recalled that he had also chaired a session during which PML-N supremo and Shehbaz’s elder brother was elected as the premier. “And today, I have the honor of chairing the session for Shehbaz Sharif’s election. Mian Mohammad Shehbaz Sharif has secured 174 votes and has been elected as the Prime Minister of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan,” Sadiq announced. In his maiden address to the house as the Prime Minister, Shehbaz thanked Allah for “saving Pakistan”. He said it was the first time in Pakistan’s history that a no-confidence motion against a “selected” Prime Minister had been successful. Lashing out at Imran Khan, he said Rs 8 depreciation in the US dollar’s value signified the “happiness of the people”. He also appreciated the SC for its judgment which ultimately gave relief to the opposition parties now becoming the treasury. “In future, no one will dare to break the Constitution in such a way and it all happened due to the effort of the superior court,” he applauded. He said the day when the SC ruled against the dismissal of the no-confidence motion against Imran Khan by Deputy Speaker Qasim Suri should be remembered as one when supremacy of the Constitution and parliament was established. Shehbaz Sharif said a drama had been going on over the past few weeks and the lies being told about a “letter”, which was said to contain evidence of a foreign conspiracy to topple the PTI government. He said the deputy speaker had waved the cable in the assembly as well and requested that it be shown to him (Shehbaz), who was the leader of the opposition at the time. “But neither I saw it nor did anyone show it to me. It was a lie, drama and fraud,” said Shehbaz as he went on to clarify that there was no conspiracy linked to the ouster of former prime minister Imran Khan. He said the PTI had been alleging that they had received the cable on March 7, a day before the no-confidence motion against Imran Khan was filed. “But I have been meeting Asif Ali Zardari and Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on this (the vote of no-confidence) since the initial days of March.” On March 3, Shehbaz continued, Nawaz held a meeting of the PML-N’s central executive committee and PPP held a separate meeting of its own after which they decided to bring a vote of no-confidence against the most corrupt, incompetent and laid-back government in history. He further said a matter was then discussed with the Pakistan Democratic Movement and the motion was eventually filed on March 8. “They say they received the cable on March 7, but we have been holding meetings way before that,” he clarified. “The nation should know whether they have been lied to,” he said, adding that even if an iota of evidence of a foreign conspiracy was found, “I will go home”. “This debate should be laid to rest and I will make arrangements for the in-camera session at the earliest,” Shehbaz Sharif said. Turning his attention to economy, the prime minister remarked, “I have said it many times that a life of debt is no life.” Highlighting the importance of hard work and financial independence, he said If we have to survive, we have to do it like an honorable and self-relying nation. Taking a jibe at the PTI over its slogan of tabdeeli , he said, “Change doesn’t come simply by talking.” Over the past four years, he added, “our society was poisoned and it will take years to clean this poisoned water. And this will only be possible if we stay united.” Shehbaz termed the country’s economic situation “very serious” and emphasized the need for hard work to improve the economy. Addressing the leaders of other parties, he said, “If we have to save the sinking boat, then we have to stay united and work hard.” “The situation is very bad but, God willing, it will change if we work hard.” He lamented that the previous government had rejected his proposal of introducing a “charter of economy” to improve the economic situation. “Had they not rejected it in a humiliating manner, the economy would not have been in such a bad state today,” Shehbaz added. Shehbaz went on to paint a bleak picture of the country’s economy and assailed the previous government for its economic policies. “If Pakistan’s economy were to move forward, then the government will have to use dialogue and not move towards a deadlock,” he said and assured that his government will pacify and alleviate grievances of the backward areas. He then expressed the resolve to rebuild Pakistan, announcing that his government would increase minimum wage to Rs 25,000 from April 1. Necessary legal procedures would be undertaken regarding this with the help of the provinces, he added. Shehbaz further committed to making Pakistan a “paradise for investments” and appealed to investors to increase the salaries of their employees whose monthly income was Rs 100,000 or less. He also announced 10 percent increase in the pension of civil and military pensioners. This, too, would be implemented from April 1, he said. Moreover, Shehbaz said wheat flour would be made available at cheaper rates under a Ramazan package. Further, he said, “we will also address the high prices of electricity” and take measures for the progress of smaller provinces. “Punjab is the elder brother but not the entire Pakistan. We will take smaller provinces along ourselves and move forward,” he commented. We will give the youth of Balochistan, erstwhile Fata and other provinces technical education and skills instead of weapons.” Shehbaz further announced that “Benazir card” would be reintroduced, which was renamed in the previous government’s tenure. He said the programme would be expanded to cover education. Criticizing the PTI government over its foreign policy, he lamented that Pakistan’s strategic partners and friends had left it while it remained silent on the Kashmir issue. Underlining the importance of having good ties with China, he alleged that the previous government had attempted to weaken the friendship between Pakistan and China. “But this friendship is for forever and … I assure that we will make progress on the CPEC,” he added, thanking Chinese President Xi Jinping. He further underlined the significance of having good ties with Saudi Arabia, Turkey, European Union nations, the United Arab Emirates, Britain and Iran. He also said ties needed to be strengthened with the US on the basis of equality and “we need to raise our voice for Afghanistan” where the situation was dire. “We want peace in Afghanistan.” “We will raise our voice for Kashmiri brother on every forum. We will give them diplomatic and moral support,” he said, adding that his advice to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was to realize that there “is poverty, unemployment and diseases on both sides of the border”. “Why do we want our coming generations to suffer. Come, let’s resolve the Kashmir issue in line with United Nation resolutions and Kashmiris’ expectations, so that we are able to end poverty on both sides of the border.” The development comes two days after an unceremonious end to Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan’s tenure as the country’s chief executive through a no-confidence vote. Earlier, after taking the chair of the speaker, Sadiq read out the rules and procedure for the election of the prime minister and asked for the bells to ring for five minutes so that all lawmakers could come inside the halls before the voting began. He said after the bells stopped ringing, the assembly’s entrances and exits would be locked and would remain so until the voting concluded. Thereafter, Sadiq read out the names of the contenders, PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif and PTI’s Shah Mahmood Qureshi. In a slip of tongue, he named PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif as one of the contenders initially and quickly corrected himself, clarifying that he meant to say Shehbaz. “I apologize Shehbaz sahab, Nawaz’s name remains in my heart.” Sadiq then asked the lawmakers supporting Shehbaz to proceed to lobbies on his left side for voting. Similarly, he asked those who wanted to vote in favour of Qureshi to proceed to the lobby on his right side to cast their votes. At the outset of the session, Suri said voting had already been done on the no-trust motion and there had been enough debate on the ruling he gave on April 3, which blocked the no-trust vote against Khan. “Complying with the court’s orders is mandatory for everyone, but I want to put the reasons and basis of my ruling before you. “I made the decision as a patriotic Pakistani, as a guardian and speaker of the NA,” he said. “I want to tell you that the foreign cable was deliberated over during the meetings of the federal cabinet, the PCNS, NSC and it was agreed that the no-confidence motion against Khan is a foreign plot,” he said. Suri went on to say that the last cabinet meeting that was held on April 9, 2022, decided to declassify the foreign cable. He said that the cable was then received by former NA speaker Asad Qaiser, who closely read it. Suri then flashed the “cable”, saying that he also received it as the deputy speaker. “In this cable, Pakistan has been openly threatened.” Suri concluded by saying that he had accepted the apex court’s decision to reverse his ruling and the restoration of the Assembly as it was, and has tried to run parliamentary affairs as per NA rules and the Constitution. He then allowed former foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi to speak. Taking the floor, former foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said Monday’s constitutional process had to end as some will be declared a winner, while the other one will be declared “free”. “The nation has two paths; one path is of self-respect while the other one is of slavery,” he said, appreciating Imran Khan for trusting him [Qureshi] by nominating him. Calling PTI a “relatively” new party compared to other parties, he said it has managed to leave a strong impression on the minds of the public. Qureshi pointed towards the treasury benches, saying that today, the nation can see that on one side are people who share the same pro-country ideology and on the other side, people are only united and are sitting with several ideologies. Amid constant calls from the deputy speaker urging members sitting on the opposition benches to maintain the order of the House, Qureshi continued saying that the opposition members had formed a temporary collision that would not last long, adding that Shahbaz Sharif knows he does not have the “support of the people.” Lashing out at the opposition parties, the ex-foreign minister said PPP and PML-N could not think of appointing someone outside their families for the top office of the prime minister and chief minister. Qureshi said the PML-N and PPP were part of governments for 40 years but did not allow Imran Khan to even stay in power for even four years. “Were they not enough for you to introduce electoral reforms?” The PTI leader said the people have rejected the coalition’s “imported government” – and it was not only witnessed in Pakistan but abroad as well. “Let the people of Pakistan choose between an independent or an enslaved Pakistan […] do you want the Pakistan in which there are several diseases, or do you want a Pakistan which we envision,” the ex-foreign minister said. Qureshi said in the “old Pakistan”, every child is in debt, a majority portion of the revenue goes into debt servicing, a “historic trade deficit”, International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) doors were knocked on, the GDP’;s growth was stagnant, and unemployment was rising. “In line with the party’s unanimous decision, we have decided not to partake in their (Opposition) illegal actions; we aspire for an independent Pakistan, and we announce to resign [from assemblies] today,” the PTI Vice-Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi announced, followed by loud chants of “hum kya chahtehain? azadi.” As the ex-foreign minister announced PTI’s decision, NA Deputy Speaker Qasim Suri also said his “conscience” does not allow him to hold the election for the new prime minister, therefore, he handed over the chair of the session to MNA Ayaz Sadiq – the senior-most member of the panel of chair.   * Minimum wage will be jacked up to Rs 25,000 (from April 1) * 10% increase in pensions of retired civil, and military officials * Cheap wheat to be introduced at utility stores * Laptop and technical education for youth * Reintroduction of Benazir Card * Appeal to industrialists to increase salaries of employees who earn up to Rs 100,000 by 10%