DERA GHAZI KHAN: Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi said on Saturday that political decisions should be made at polling stations, not courts. “We have full respect for the courts. However, it is the right of the people of the country to take political decisions,” he told a gathering here after performing the ground-breaking of two road projects. He said it was unfortunate that those who served the people were being removed through litigation and court cases. “It has become a tradition to drag people who work for the welfare of the people through courts. The country cannot progress until there is political stability,” he remarked. “This practice needs to end as it is not sustainable and is eventually damaging the country,” he said. A country that disrespects its politicians can never prosper, he added. The prime minister said there could be criticism on the court decisions but those taken by the people could not be criticised as those reflect the will of the masses. He said the nation could only progress if democracy and political systems were strong in the country. He said people of Pakistan opted for Asif Zardari in 2008 and everyone knows what he did to the country. In 2013, the people sent him packing and opted for Nawaz Sharif. “We have never used derogatory words to intimidate individuals. The people will again respond to those who take to insulting the opponents,” he said. Reiterating his strong reservations about the recent holding of the elections for Senate as well as its chairman, the prime minister said he would get an endorsement of his views from the people and asked them whether those who had become members of the Upper House on basis of their wealth were acceptable. “No,” the people chanted. He said the PML-N did not spend even a single penny in the Senate elections. He said he would go an extra mile to put an end to this corrupt practice. He said the newly elected senators and their political parties needed to give a written oath that neither they were paid nor they paid someone to purchase a vote. He said the people of Pakistan needed to decide whether they were willing to see the sale and purchase of conscience of their elected representatives for a single Senate seat or will reject that lot in the next general elections. He said the Senate chairman should have the courage to admit that money was somehow paid to secure the coveted seat. The prime minister criticised the previous governments for wasting time instead of working for the masses, saying that the current regime could not possibly solve long-standing problems in just five years. He complained that the incumbent government had not been allowed to work for the past five years due to the political instability caused by sit-ins and court cases. He said the conscientious people of Pakistan would definitely react to the way Nawaz Sharif was removed and would cast their votes in his favour in the forthcoming general elections. He said he had full belief that in the next general elections, the PML-N would again win with an overwhelming majority. Mentioning the development phase launched across the country by the PML-N government, he said Rs 18 billion would be spent on construction of two roads in the city to bring about a sea change in the lives of the people of this region. He said the two roads were only a part of the overall development works that include hospitals, schools, colleges and universities, besides road, rail and other infrastructure projects. The prime minister said an unprecedented number of development projects were being launched across the country. He said for next 20 years, Pakistan would not face any shortage of natural gas. He said in past five years the number of new connections had risen by 50 per cent. Published in Daily Times, April 1st 2018.