Internal unity is the only way forward: Ahsan Iqbal

 

ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal on Saturday said that the only way forward for Pakistan is maintaining internal unity. 

"Pakistan is faced with extreme external challenges and the only way forward is to maintain internal unity," Iqbal said on Geo News' programme Jirga.

He said that the ruling party, Pakistan Muslim League - Nawaz (PML-N), is trying its level best to stabilise the country.

"The next two to three years are very important for our country, and any internal destabilisation will be granting the enemy’s wishes," he stressed. 

Iqbal went on to say that Pakistan’s challenges cannot be solely solved by one political party, leader or institution.

"If any institution, individual or party believes that it can alone solve the problems of Pakistan, they need to get themselves examined." 

Responding to a question regarding the PML-N's leadership, the federal minister said that only the party has the right to elect its leader.

"The Supreme Court or any other institution doesn’t have the right to select a party’s leader," he stressed, "This right only lies with the voters or the party." 

Iqbal also discussed the Supreme Court's July 28 decision in the Panama Papers case against Nawaz Sharif, whereby the latter was disqualified from holding public office.

He said 'godfathers or mafia' don't appear before accountability courts. 

"No leader in Pakistan is of Nawaz’s stature, hence his leadership is really important," Iqbal claimed, adding that he doubts if any leader can match Nawaz's knowledge and insight into Pakistan's problems. 

In response to a question about martial law, the interior minister said that he doesn't think that there is any possibility of a martial law administrator's decision to dismiss the Constituent Assembly of Pakistan. 

"I completely reject the possibility of martial law administration in Pakistan because this decision would be a decision against our motherland," Iqbal said. "Our military establishment has a clear stance on the same."

The imposition of martial law in Pakistan is the way to the destruction of Pakistan and the army's image in the international community, he added.