Shaukat Aziz says Pakistan needs to discuss merits of presidential system

Says presidential system more beneficial; USA treats Pakistan roughly and on transactional basis; tried his best to bring structural reforms to Pakistan’

LONDON: Former Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz has said that Pakistan needs to see whether a presidential system can benefit it more than the prevailing parliamentary system.

In an interview with The News at the launch of his memoir "From banking to the thorny world of politics," which analyses the complex relationships between Pakistan and the United States, India, Afghanistan and China, the former PM said that his critics will question why he didn’t talk in favour of the presidential system when he himself was the premier of Pakistan but Mr Aziz said that he had visited, and closely studied dozens of countries with presidential system in place.

He said visiting these countries enlightened him more about the benefits of this system. “Presidential system has an elected parliament, the premier is the chief operating officer and the president is the chief executive officer and it is to the chief executive that every institution reports. There are ministries and committees and the system that guards this system is strong and stable. The system works well.”

Shaukat Aziz, a world renowned banker, served as prime minister of Pakistan between 2004 and 2007, following five years as Pakistan’s finance minister. In his book Aziz sheds light on his experience in the top office and what he saw and observed while dealing with the world at a time when Pakistan was at the centre of the attention following the 9/11 attacks on the US and the “war on terror”.

The former prime minister of Pakistan advised United States of America to stop treating Pakistan with double standards and having an inconsistent and edgy policy towards it. He said the policy of “calling us brother when in need and discarding us when the need is over” was counter-productive.

“After 9/11 attacks on the US and the following events, all doors opened on Pakistan but look at what’s happening now when Pakistan needs F-16 jets. Problems have been created for Pakistan to stop it from buying the much-needed equipment.

“There is no need for such kind of policies. The US administration knows it well that the F-16s will not be used for war because there is no chance of any conventional war as Pakistan is a nuclear country and can’t be messed about. Pakistan wants F-16s to fight extremists and terrorists and to use these for reconnaissance but the US is not helping Pakistan.

“Pakistan has done a lot for the world and certainly doesn’t deserve this kind of treatment,” said Shaukat Aziz.

Shaukat Aziz, who survived an assassination attempt in Fateh Jang in 2004, said that he did his best to rid Pakistan of the menace of terrorism. “Terrorism is Pakistan’s number one problem. Its not only a security issue, it’s also an issue of hearts and minds. We need to create such conditions where economy grows and terrorism ends, we need to get our clerics on board to educate our children about this menace. We need soft marketing. We are fully aware that terrorism poses existential threat to Pakistan. It’s the economic progress that’s the best weapon against terrorism and Pakistan must focus on that.”

Aziz said that Pakistan needs to have good relations with neighbours such as Iran, India and Afghanistan and trade must be promoted for economic progress of common people but he stressed that Pakistan cannot ignore the negative activities being sponsored by hostile elements using soil of the neighbouring countries.

Shaukat Aziz said that he decided to pen his memoirs on the insistence of his friends who wanted to know more about his take on his interesting life experience from being a banker to being the prime minister of nuclear armed Pakistan. Shaukat Aziz said he did his best to bring structural reforms in Pakistan. He said he did his best not to deprive any labourer of his livelihood but at the same time thought it was essential to bring reforms to get the economy moving.