LAHORE, Feb 9: PML-N President Mian Shahbaz Sharif holds politicians and military dictators responsible for the problems the country is currently facing, saying both should work within the limits set by the constitution.
According to a party press release, the former Punjab chief minister made the observation while addressing a ceremony in Manchester, UK. He said the army should return to the barracks and politicians pledge never again to approach the military for intervention. "We'll have to give up for good the tradition of looking towards dictators. We'll have to promote healthy politics."
Underlining the need for political parties to tolerate one another, he said, all leaders should serve people belonging to all walks of life. Dictatorship, Shahbaz Sharif said, was no solution even to the worst democratic system. Instead the situation could be rectified by giving the country more democracy.
He said in view of the impenetrable security system devised for the Khan Research Laboratories, it was simply not possible for a single individual - Dr A.Q Khan - to transfer nuclear technology to any country.
He said his heart bled on imagining the situation created by the present rulers. But, he said, he was having to hold back his views because of the sensitivity of the situation.
The PML-N president admitted that politicians did make blunders, but the military dictatorship also damaged the country. While countries like China, Japan and Germany changed their destiny through hard work and commitment, in Pakistan any attempt to improve the lot of the people was thwarted by local enemies. It was for this reason, he alleged, that Dr Khan was made to apologize on the electronic media.
Mr Sharif said if in the past politicians involved themselves in nepotism, corruption, or if they violated merit and failed to honour their commitment to maintain law and order, the situation was even worse today.
Instead of focusing on defending the national frontiers, he said, the army involved itself in governance, which was an unconstitutional act. The former chief minister, in exile since December 2000, said he would soon return to his country and for this purpose he was not waiting for any signal from anyone.