PM Nawaz views politics of sit-ins with disdain

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said, “the ruling party only believes in the politics of development aimed at ending poverty and bringing prosperity to the country.”

“We do not believe in politics of sit-ins that are detrimental to the country and revolve around blatant lies,” the premier said in a public address in Kotli Sattiyan tehsil on Monday.

Amid the controversy surrounding the Panama leaks investigation commission, the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) has kicked off a ‘mass outreach campaign’ with a strategy to highlight its development agenda while wooing allied parties for support on the political front.

Starting from Kotli Sattiyan, where PM Nawaz announced building a hospital, providing gas and carpeting all roads in the tehsil, the premier has a hectic schedule for at least the next two weeks.

He will be visiting Muzaffarabad, Manshera, Bannu, DI Khan, Quetta, Sahiwal and Khaniwal per the proposed schedule his secretariat has chalked out. In addition, he will be holding groundbreaking and inauguration ceremonies for different mega projects.

Countering his critics Monday, Nawaz said he did not intend to focus his speech on criticizing anyone but to focus on the development of Pakistan. “My governments have always served the country selflessly and will continue to do so,” he added.

He said the objective of his visit was to provide financial assistance to the people affected by floods and landslides. After giving away cheques to the affected people, the PM directed the area commissioner to ensure all families get compensatory cheques within 24 hours.

The government plans to counter the opposition’s onslaught and the mounting pressure on the premier to step down through these public gatherings. At the same time, the ruling party is seeking support from its allied parties.

Earlier in the day, the PM met with National Party (NP) chief Hasil Bizenjo.

The Baloch nationalist party and the Pukhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) – both partners of the PML-N in the Balochistan coalition government – will extend their support to the ruling party inside and outside parliament.

The government is also in contact with the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl JUI-F), Awami National Party (ANP) and the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) to support the terms of references (ToRs) formulated for the proposed Panama commission.

A PML-N insider said the party had the backing of JUI-F, NP, PkMAP, ANP and MQM. “You can say ANP and MQM are 50 percent with us. So we are confident of getting their support in the end,” he said.

At the same time, the PML-N believes the newfound love between the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) will not last for long. Therefore, the government now plans to stick to its ToRs and wait for a response from the Supreme Court.

The premier’s open offer to the people of Kotli Sattiyan to ask for any new project they wanted also shows the humane approach the government intends to adopt to appease the general public. He is scheduled to visit Azad Kashmir capital Muzaffarabad today (Tuesday), where elections for the legislative assembly are scheduled in June.

Read : Panama Leaks: PM Nawaz Sharif writes letter to CJ for Panama commission