Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Professor Ahsan Iqbal has  called for restraint and political stability in the face of security and economic challenges. Talking to media persons during his visit to the Faisalabad Chamber of Commerce & Industry (FCCI), he said that Pakistan needed peace, stability and economic recovery rather than political confrontation while legal and political disputes should be pursued through constitutional and judicial channels instead of street protests. 

He said that Pakistan was already confronting security challenges and fighting terrorism which made it imperative to avoid such activities that could disrupt peace and order or adversely affect economic activity. He said that the country had recently gained a new identity at the international level while its defense cooperation with Saudi Arabia and successes in this field had further strengthened its position. In these circumstances, national unity and internal stability needed to be reinforced rather than weakened by political confrontation, he added. 

Responding to a question about Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder, Federal Minister Ahsan Iqbal said that in his view, he was not a political prisoner but a person convicted by a court, adding that the £190 million case was based on documented matters. He said that anyone who considered himself innocent should approach the courts, file an appeal and face the legal proceedings instead of resorting to street protests. Ahsan Iqbal said that he himself had faced different cases in the past and he had ultimately been acquitted by courts.

Legal issues should therefore be resolved through the judicial process, he added. He stressed that political differences should be channelized through constitutional and legal means rather than protests, confrontation and street agitation as this would serve the national interest. He said that Pakistan currently needed peace as it was engaged in a war against terrorism. The enemy was attempting to create instability through unconventional means, making it important to avoid any internal activity that could undermine law & order, he added. 

He questioned whether activities leading to instability were benefiting Pakistan or those forces seeking to create disorder in the country. It was for political stakeholders and the people themselves to determine how national interest and peace could be given priority under the prevailing circumstances, he added. He urged serious and patriotic elements within the PTI to come forward and play their role in protecting both the party and the country from such elements whose activities could affect political stability as well as economic recovery. 

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)