LAHORE: Parliament must not approve the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) because its endorsement would disgrace the legislature and its members, the PML-N chief, Mian Nawaz Sharif, said here on Saturday.

Talking to newsmen at the residence of former MPA Suhail Zia Butt, Mr Sharif said that political parties ‘must not fail in this vital test because it amounts to legalising corruption and cronyism’.
 
Political parties, he added, should not use parliament for legitimising corruption because it would set a disastrous precedent, destroying their credibility.

‘If approved, the ordinance will tarnish the country’s image,’ he warned.

Criticising the Kerry-Lugar bill, Mr Sharif stressed the need for making the country ‘self-sufficient and independent’.
 
‘Economic independence is a must … and the people are capable of making the country self-sufficient in every sense of the word. We must break the begging bowl and commit all resources to economic and political independence.’
 
He said if the business community paid taxes, the country could progress with dignity.