Former prime minister and convener of the Awam Pakistan Party (APP), Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, has claimed that the founder of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) must reform himself, or the country will struggle to progress, The News reported.
Speaking on a private television channel, Abbasi also emphasised that the United States cannot intervene in the issues surrounding the PTI chief.
Commenting on the domestic political climate, Abbasi acknowledged PTI’s strong public support but warned that if the party continues with the same approach it held during its four years in power, it will not be beneficial.
He said that the party founder should think about what mistakes he committed, as his party needs to be reformed; the mistakes that PTI committed were doubled by the next government.
“We are trying to reach an agreement on the opposition’s thinking and we have talked about the release of political prisoners in the conference because issues in the country are in accordance with the Constitution and principles,” he contended.
He regretted: “We have developed an attitude that sometimes we bring one (in power) and sometimes the other. If the hypocrisy in the country ends, the PTI founder will also get relief.”
With regard to the past crucial events in the country, he maintained that former prime minister Nawaz Sharif had the courage to carry out nuclear explosions because Pakistan had no choice after India’s move.
Talking about foreign relations, Abbasi said that Europe is threatened by Russia while America will not do anything because it is engaged in deal-making, whereas Pakistan will have to bring balance in relations with Russia and Europe and can play the role of a bridge between the two.
He emphasised that Pakistan has to have relations with everyone, the US has always demanded that it scale down relations with China, but China has never made such a demand, rather it encourages relations with everyone.
