Bilal Abbasi
ISLAMABAD: Adviser to the Prime Minister on Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan Qamar Zaman Kaira has said that the Supreme Court is asking political parties to sit down and resolve issues, but “I would request that the court also sit down and sort out its own problems as well as that of the country.”
‘SC handed down verdict without listening to political parties’
In an interview with We News, Kaira said: “The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) did not boycott the proceedings of the Supreme Court. He said that he, Farooq H Naik and Sherry Rehman went to the Supreme Court to present their point of view. “Political parties are stakeholders and should be listened, but they were denied a chance and it will cause harm,” he said.
According to him: “The PPP is clear that we are neither in favour of early elections nor favour unnecessary delay. There should be no issue if elections are advanced by a few days. Elections should be held in 90 days but a slight delay is not a big deal.”
In response to a question, the senior PPP leader said that Pakistan has progressed despite economic challenges. “Pakistan is facing economic, political, and constitutional challenges. Democracy progresses when institutions are strengthened instead of individuals. There is a need to create awareness at the public level. In this regard, teachers, journalists, religious scholars and others should fulfill their responsibility so that democratic attitudes can be strengthened.”
Kaira said: “Since 1977, every institution, establishment, court, media and even ulema tried to eliminate the PPP. Party workers were suppressed but despite all this, the PPP survives and remains as a party, and it is a big thing. Such ups and downs are part and parcel of the political process.”
‘PPP represents poor, labourers and farmers’
According to Kaira, the PPP is going through a difficult time, but “it is not that we are limited to one province. This impression is there because we have significant representation in one province. High expectations had been pinned on the rest of the parties but their performance laid bare everyting. The PPP is the only party that thinks of the poor, labourers and farmers and represents the common man.”
Responding to a question on the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, Kaira said: “The PTI has introduced a culture of abuse and indecency in the new generation, who indulge in mud-slinging all the time and misbehave in every matter. There is no respect for any institution. Should a leader work like that? The youth supported Imran Khan’s narrative, but did it improve anything?
According to Kaira, “Youth is a big power, but there is no alternative or substitute for experience (the ‘white hair’). America, Britain, Europe and other countries developed because of the experienced people. Imran Khan himself is 75-year-old, and in the other PTI leadership is almost 60-plus. But I think youth is our future and they should also come forward to do politics.”
Kaira said that Imran Khan has not yet indicated his readiness for talks, but some of his colleagues have discussed it. But they attach the condition that talks can only be held if the election date is announced first.”
‘No law can bar Nawaz Sharif’s family or Bilawal from doing politics’
In response to a question, Kaira said that Imran Khan’s children do not live in Pakistan, so they are not in politics, but Shah Mehmood Qureshi and Pervez Khattak’s families are in politics. “The same PTI workers who raise their voices against the dynastic politics promote heredity by voting for the families of Shah Mehmood Qureshi and Pervez Khattak. If democracy is strengthened in the country, institutions will ultimately be strengthened, diminishing the influence of personalities (in politics).
