SWABI: The newly-established Awam Pakistan Party (APP) central chief and former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi has said that Pakistan faces numerous challenges, which can be tackled through practical steps.

He, along with former Khyber Pakhtunkhwa governor and the party’s provincial president Sardar Mahtab Ahmad Khan, was speaking at a meeting held at the residence of the party’s district president Taj Sultan here on Saturday.

Mr Abbasi spoke in detail about the various economic, political and security challenges, which have threatened the existence of the country, stressing: “We should all put our heads together to change the destiny of the nation.”

“Rulers have failed to make result-oriented policies as they prioritised their personal interest over that of the state’s,” he said.

Calls for launching decisive movement against govt

He alleged that both the 2018 and 2024 elections were fraudulent, and those who came to power because of these elections were not the elected representatives of the people. “They were not elected but selected,” he said.

“Just like the current ruling clique, Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf founder Imran Khan also assumed power through a fraudulent election,” he said.

The former prime minister said that the country’s tribal region was merged into Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, but the pledges made with people of the backward region were not fulfilled, forcing the people to take up arms and fall into wrong hands.

He stressed the need for unity of the opposition parties to launch a decisive movement against the government.

He said that leaders of political parties and other sections of the society should forge unity to steer Pakistan out of the quagmire of financial difficulties and increasing debt burden.

Mr Abbasi alleged that both the Pakistan Peoples Party and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz just wanted to grab power, and had no interest in the country’s progress and economic prosperity.

Later, talking to reporters, he said if his party came to power, it would have an independent policy to tackle challenges according to the Constitution.

Speaking on the occasion, Sardar Mahtab said that after elections the people had attached great expectations from the ruling elite, but they failed to deliver, and the country moved from crisis to crisis due to wrong policies and wrong priorities of the rulers.

Taj Sultan hoped that the party would give due weight to workers and strive for their welfare and progress and prosperity of the country.

Published in Dawn, April 6th, 2025