No deal involved in Nawaz’s return

Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar on Thursday dismissed the impression that the decision of Pakistan Muslim League leader Nawaz Sharif to return to Pakistan was part of any deal with the interim government. “;The caretaker government has ‘no soft corner’ for PML-N or any other political party How can a caretaker government strike such a deal,̶1; he said in an interview with a digital media platform. The prime minister was responding to a question relating to the PML-N chief’s homecoming who flew from London to Saudi Arabia Wednesday with his announcement to land in Pakistan on October 21. Kakar pointed out that Nawaz Sharif left the country as per the court decision “;under the nose of Imran Khan’s government, and not the caretaker setup”. However, he said that if Nawaz Sharif returns and takes part in politics, he will have to face some legal obstacles. “;The answers to these legal questions lie in legal remedies,̶1; he said. Kakar said any leader be it Imran Khan, Asif Ali Zardari, or Nawaz Sharif, everyone would have to seek their legal remedy as per their case scenario. He said Pakistan was facing the formation of “;regimental camps” and the country had been turned into a fighting ground for political positions. He rejected the notion that the caretaker setup could be likened to the 90s ‘Kakar formula’ where both Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and President Ghulam Ishaq Khan were forced to quit on the proposal of then army chief General Waheed Kakar to make way for fresh election. “;This comparison is apples and oranges. It is out of context because in our case, the stint of the normal parliament led to its retirement and we are part of the constitutional continuation where leaders of the House and the Opposition agreed upon my name,̶1; he said. There has been no interference from any institution in our case, he said. On general polls, he said necessary security and administrative arrangements were in place. He said the caretaker government in collaboration with the Election Commission was in the process of the finalization of the required measures. On the expulsion of Afghan refugees, the prime minister said the action was being taken only against unregistered foreign nationals and over one million illegal aliens. The government’s objective, he said, was to regulate the movement of unregistered foreign nationals through proper process. On relations with India, he said the radicalized RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh) mindset of the ruling Indian party and the Kashmir dispute were the main hurdles in the maintenance of good ties. “;The situation between Pakistan and India needs to be improved, however, realistically at present, there is no such possibility,̶1; he said. PM Kakar said the hegemonic designs of India needed to be curtailed as the country was turning into hell for its minorities, including Muslims, Sikhs, and others. Asked about any possibility of recognition of Israel, he said, “;There are no such deliberations going on.” Pakistan considers Israel an “;oppressor” and stands with the rights of Palestinians to their existence and return to their land, he said. On Pakistan’s economic stability, he said the country for the first time witnessed a reversal of the value of the dollar with a consistent descent of about Rs 42-45. He said the continuation of the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SFIC) would lead to sustainability. He dismissed the impression that the army had taken over the mining sector on the SFIC platform. “;The army’s role is a stop-gap arrangement to run the matters and at SFIC, it is providing impetus in the facilitation process,̶1; he said. He emphasized the need for capacity-building of civil institutions as a pathway for a viable state economically. In Balochistan, he termed security, governance, scarcity of resources, and mismanagement as the main challenges. He recalled that during the meeting of the apex committee held in Quetta, it was revealed that hundreds of ghost schools and health units existed in the province. “;Such mismanagement has led to making a few billionaires but leaving the rest of the population deprived including the common Balochs, Pashtuns, and Hazaras,̶1; he said. Meanwhile Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar calling the Kashmir dispute the root cause of tension in South Asia, said peace in the region would remain elusive till the resolution of the issue. The prime minister in a meeting with OIC Secretary General’s Special Envoy for Jammu and Kashmir Yousef M. Al Dobeay, said Pakistan was committed to a just and peaceful resolution of the Kashmir dispute in accordance with the UN Security Council resolutions. He welcomed the visit of the OIC delegation to Pakistan and Azad Jammu & Kashmir. He lauded the sustained efforts of the OIC in support of the Kashmir cause, particularly in the wake of India’s unilateral and illegal actions of August 5, 2019 and stated that the people of Pakistan and Kashmir had high expectations of the OIC. Highlighting the tremendous sacrifices of the people of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir for realization of their inalienable right to self-determination, the prime minister said that the Kashmiris had always looked towards OIC and Ummah for support. Prime Minister Kakar also expressed serious concern over the rise of Islamophobia around the world, particularly in the form of Hindutva.