APP/MONITORING DESK
ISLAMABAD - Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi Tuesday said his government, together with the opposition, might bring a constitutional amendment bill to make amendment in Article 62-1(f) of the Constitution.
The Article 62-1(f) of the constitution, requires a public representative to be ‘Sadiq and Ameen’ (truthful and honest).
The prime minister was responding to different queries during an interview with a private TV channel.
He expressed his confidence that the PML-N government would achieve the mega development targets as conceived by former prime minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif.
He said the PML-N leadership had shown the resilience despite all odds and continued the democratic system in the face of conspiracies.
Abbasi said his party, the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), will decide whether he was to stay as premier for 45 days or longer.
He said Nawaz Sharif proposed his name for the prime minister and everyone extended his support in its favour.
Abbasi said conspiracies were hatched to derail the system. Any issue which caused harm to a democratically elected government could be construed as conspiracy. Intrigues were made by those elements, who did not want Pakistan to march on the path of progress, he explained.
He said Sharif had always delivered and compared the previous regimes with the development projects launched by the present PML-N government.
Sharif had left his office but his policies continued, he said questioning the capacity of former regimes to achieve a single development target.
The prime minister said when juxtaposed with previous regimes, there was a long list of PML-N government's achievements.
To another question, he said upon the directives of Nawaz Sharif, they restored the prestige of politicians and parliament.
In recent times, he said, being in politics had become an abuse, but the people knew it very well who had started that kind of culture. Politicians had been the public punching bags for their politics.
He said the political scene of the country also proved that the people did not like politics of accusations and use of gutter language. "No one will deny that there should be no decency in the politics."
He stressed upon preparation of a new charter of democracy, including subjects like ethics and economy etc., and said that all political parties should be included in that sort of charter. There was a need to bring all the political parties on one platform.
Spelling out objective of such contract, the prime minister said there should be continuity in policies by the subsequent governments.
The prime minister dropped the hint that his government would take initiative in that regard by contacting all the political parties and politicians of all hues.
The prime minister to a query justified size of his cabinet, saying the constitutional limitation for cabinet members was 49.
There were about 43 divisions and each required a minister for its smooth functioning, he said and stressed that for running the government affairs in a better manner, sometimes enhanced numbers of minister were required.
Rejecting a general perception about huge expenditures incurred on the cabinet members, the prime minister said less than 0.3 million rupees per year was the total expenditure of a minister, who had to take decisions for billions of rupees in the public interest.
He said the issue was about the responsibility and ministers were picked up on the basis of their knowledge and capacities so that at the end, they could deliver.
To another question, the prime minister said it was the strength of the democratic system that after July 28, within four days, new cabinet took oath.
He said the continuity in the democratic system was its strength. Now, there was no place for turncoats as they always created hurdles in the system, he said in reply to a question about the past norm of changing party affiliations.
The prime minister said he would remain in the office as long as the parliamentary party desired so. The decision taken by the party members was adopted unanimously by all members of the parliament by voting for him.
Praising Sharif's acumen who managed the foreign affairs ministry by himself, the prime minister said that he had not seen such adroitness in any other world leader.
He also expressed his confidence that Minister for Foreign Affairs Khawaja Muhammad Asif would also become the most successful foreign minister of the country.
"We have to improve relations with all the countries in the region and with neighbours," he said, adding Pakistan strengthened its ties with China whereas its ties with Russia had witnessed new openings. The ties with the United States required further improvement.
About relations with India, the prime minister said that better ties with India were significant for resolving the issue of Indian occupied Kashmir.
Dismissing allegations over liquefied natural gas (LNG) import, the prime minister said the previous regimes could not introduce the fuel. The PML-N government, however, started the process as there was no solution to energy crises in the country.
He said Qatar was the largest LNG producer and Pakistan imported it under the long term agreement with 2.75 million tons yearly on the lowest rate which was acknowledged by the world.
The prime minister said that he had also responded to the allegations levelled by certain politicians and even wrote to the National Accountability Bureau as minister to offer all kinds of help in its probe.
He said after entering into politics, his family assets had shrunk.
Justifying his decision not to retain the PM House, the prime minister in lighter vein said that he wanted to rest in his home after his daily hectic schedule.
To another question, he said Sharif was their leader and the ministers accompanying him during his home-going procession should not be seen as creating impediments in the functioning of the ministries.
He said it was not a protest march. Sharif was going to his home town and it was a decision of the party leadership to accord him warm welcome along the GT Road.
The prime minister said the security issues would be managed by the authorities concerned.
He said the general elections would be held in 2018 in which the PML-N would emerge victorious.
To a question, he reiterated his commitment that there would be no loadshedding in the country after November 2017.
About increase in the duration of loadshedding in recent days, Abbasi said it was done due to development of some problems in one or two power plants.
He expressed the hope that sufficient power generation had been added and loadshedding would be a thing of the past very soon.
About trial of former dictator Pervez Musharraf, he said implementing the court's orders was the government's responsibility.
The Supreme Court ordered de-seating of a sitting prime minister, the government immediately implemented the verdict, he added.
"All are equal before the law, if there is an order of the court against Musharraf that will be implemented," he said.
"It is responsibility of Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal to implement the court order."
The prime minister said there should be no license of automatic weapons with private people, adding, there was no country in the world where automatic weapons were licensed.
He would take the parliament and the cabinet into confidence about the issue, he added.
To another question, Abbasi recalling his almost two-year imprisonment after the 1999 coup, said though it was a challenge but it proved blessing in disguise for him.
Abbasi said the then dictator was seeking an excuse for his takeover and that was why a hypothesis was drawn that "I [Khaqan Abbasi] was giving directions to the pilot of the hijacked aircraft."
He said a seven-page FIR of the hijacking drama, written in English language, was rejected by the then Judge Rehmat Hussain Jaffery, who in his order had stated that the case had no reality and it was based on mere hearsay.
He said Rehmat Jaffery did not yield to any pressure to award death sentence to former premier Nawaz Sharif.
Six persons were acquitted in the case while Sharif was awarded life-term imprisonment, he added.