Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Interior Ahsan Iqbal on Wednesday said the politicians also have self-respect and dignity just as much as an army official or a judge.

“If a judge is patriot, so is a politician,” the minister told a seminar in Islamabad, while strongly denouncing the allegation by Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar that he (Iqbal) was involved in certain appointments at government institutions. “The CJP has no right to mock and insult us. Enough is enough,” he stated.

“Look, the chief justice can sit on the bench and say Ahsan Iqbal got a vice chancellor appointed,” thundered Iqbal, referring to CJP Nisar’s remarks during a case. “Mr Chief Justice, have a heart. When you are disrespected, we are also disrespected,” he was quoted as saying by a private TV channel. “You have no right to name-call people. You must issue me [a] charge sheet. If you have evidence, produce it before me.”

The ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader further said if he had levelled baseless allegations against anyone, evidence should be given to substantiate those instead of insulting him.

Ahsan, who is also the minister for planning, development and reforms, said one has to understand that politicians also have self-respect and dignity just as much as any army official or a judge. He wondered if politicians in Pakistan are worse than their Indian and Bangladeshi counterparts.

“We did not come into power for some personal agenda but to serve people … we have developed Pakistan. We love Pakistan as much as anyone else,” the minister said. “If you cannot appreciate the government’s performance, then do not taunt it on daily basis either,” he suggested. “Now that we have reached our destination, some people have turned up with a pickaxe to destroy our garden,” he noted. “But we will protect what we have sowed,” he pledged.

The minister urged all the national institutions to work together to make Pakistan an Asian tiger. “All national institutions should work in solidarity to make Pakistan an Asian tiger,” he said.

He stressed that peace and stability are vital to reap benefits of the multi-billion dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project. “If we get involved in conflicts, we will not be able to benefit from the CPEC.”

The minister said CPEC has highlighted Pakistan’s positive image across the world and a number of countries are keen to enter into a partnership with it. “We will not allow Pakistan’s progress to crash-land,” he asserted. He said everyone across the globe is willing to think of investing in the CPEC. The US and Europe are rather keen to invest in CPEC, he said, adding that Gwadar’s master plan will trump the plan that was set for Hong Kong. He said the government has launched the Productivity, Quality and Innovation (PQI) initiative to make Pakistan globally competitive.

The minister said Pakistan dropped two catches as far as economic progress was concerned. He said the country’s success story was cut short in the 1960s, while the economic reforms were cut short during the 1990s.

Reacting to the statement by Ahsan Iqbal against the chief justice, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Naeemul Haq said, “Ahsan Iqbal’s statement is a violation of his oath and the constitution.” “PML-N follows the strategy of criticising the judiciary to take the spotlight away from allegations leveled against it,” he said.

The PTI leader added that the PML-N had become increasingly perplexed with the approaching verdict on corruption cases against party supremo Nawaz Sharif.

Published in Daily Times, April 26^th 2018.