Nawaz still most popular leader: Miftah

ISLAMABAD: Adviser to Prime Minister on Finance Dr Miftah Ismail has said love and affection of the people with former prime minister Nawaz Sharif could not be removed from their hearts.

Talking to the state-run TV, he said Nawaz Sharif was still most popular leader among the masses, who has contributed their services for the welfare and development of the country. He said the ex-prime minister had launched a number of energy and welfare projects including China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

The adviser further said CPEC was gift of Nawaz Sharif and this project would bring economic revolution. Miftah Ismail said Nawaz Sharif, during his regimes had constructed motorways and roads infrastructure to facilitate the commuters. He said the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government was effectively working in the interest of the country.

Meanwhile, Minister for Privatisation Danyal Aziz has said the Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) and its allied political parties were doing politics on Model Town incident to achieve political and personal gains.

Talking to a private news channel, Danyal said the opposition will not achieve anything from its all parties conference against the government. The minister said the PML-N government had cooperated with the PAT on Model Town incident and also formed a commission to conduct the inquiry.

“We had opened the Model Town report on the demand of PAT but nothing was proved against the Punjab government in it,” he added.

Danyal said the PAT leadership had lodged two FIRs on the incident to achieve political motives. He said the PAT chief Tahirul Qadri held protest demonstration and sit-in at D-Chowk in 2013 against last regime of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and introduced politics of protest and lockdown in the country. He said former president Asif Ali Zardari was playing politics on Model Town incident for political point scoring.

To a question, he said no evidence of corruption was found against former prime minister Nawaz Sharif in the NAB cases. He said Nawaz Sharif was disqualified on having an Iqama, not corruption charges, in Panama Papers case. He said the PML-N government had reduced inflation and provided job opportunities to the youth, adding that priority had always been given to strengthen the national economy.