Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has asked Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI) and Pakistan Awami Tehrik (PAT) to change their hostile attitude towards Parliament and wind up their protest sit-ins as their protest is inflicting a huge loss on the country's image and its economy. Addressing a joint session of parliament, the prime minister said the government is showing tolerance and patience; otherwise clearing Constitution Avenue is no difficult task.
"I want to make it clear that no 'Long March' or 'Short March' can topple the government," he said, adding that "the governments can only be changed through democratic means." The prime minister also lauded the role of parliamentarians towards strengthening democracy and upholding constitutionalism. "We won't allow anybody to attack the democratic system and discredit the mandate given by the people of Pakistan," he said. "Same speeches are being repeated for the last 35 days. The participants are being incited to attack the state institutions and national installations," he said.
Regarding vote rigging, the premier said the protesting PTI had spoken of its suspicions on 30 seats out of which only 20 were won by the PML-N. "Even the PTI had won these 20 seats, it would still be the winner," he said. The premier also questioned the intentions of the PTI leadership, saying "if you have doubt on the results of 30 seats, then why you want to send the parliament having 342 lawmakers home." Elaborating on credibility of the 2013 elections, he said that it was for the first time that computerised electoral rolls were used for elections that also contained photographs of voters. "All international observers have validated the results of elections," he said.
The premier said that a 33-member parliamentary committee has been working on electoral reforms. Speaking about his meeting with Imran Khan, he said, "I went to meet Imran Khan at his Bani Gala residence where we discussed issues of national interest. But, he didn't speak a single word about the rigging." Taking a jibe at the protestors, he said the leaders were hiding behind women and children. "Parliament is also witness to the fact that the protesting parties and their leaders violated their earlier pledge of not entering the Red Zone."
The premier said the Supreme Court had asked protestors to clear the Constitution Avenue and they promised that they wouldn't enter any government building, but everyone saw how these people attacked the Pakistan Secretariat, entered the Parliament and pitched tents outside the PM House. "We have constituted a committee to talk with the protestors but they did not stop provocative speeches," he said. With reference to the Model Town tragedy, he said the government has allowed registration of an FIR against the Prime Minister, CM Punjab and others.
The premier said the country is suffering economically as Moody's and other rating agencies are thinking of degrading Pakistan again from the original uplift. "The situation has also led to the cancellation of the Chinese President's visit and it is a real pity that while the Chinese president is in South Asia, Pakistan didn't get the chance to host him," he added. The premier said that protesters will have to answer to the people of Pakistan for these acts. He commended efforts of Pakistan Army for making all-out efforts in helping flood victims and fighting terrorism.
Speaking on the floor of the House, Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Khursheed Shah said the joint session of the Parliament represents the will of the people and the political acumen of their representatives. "It is often propagated that politicians have done nothing for the country but in fact the politicians have brought about a real change during their governments," he said.
Shah lamented that those who violated the Constitution and attacked the Parliament have never been named. "If anyone thinks that he can play with the hearts and minds of the people of Pakistan by talking of revolution, he should open his eyes to the fact that all of Pakistan remained peaceful apart from the few odd spots on Constitution Avenue." In a veiled reference to Imran Khan, he said that one can become prime minister of Pakistan only through contesting elections as per 1973 Constitution; there is no other way to achieve this.
"The visit of Chinese president was deferred due to protestors but we aren't worried," he said, adding that if democracy prospers in the country, everyone will visit Pakistan. Shah also questioned Dr Qadri's teachings to his followers, saying "innocent children and women are being used as a shield, which is against the teachings of Islam." The people of Pakistan are trying to cope with the floods along with IDPs and here these parties are holding 'bhangra' nights, he said. "We will talk eye to eye with the main leaders of the protesting parties and we invite our parliamentarians who have tendered resignations to come back to the House and sit with us and resolve issues."
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