Says daily incidents of violence and terrorism require a broader national consensus
LAHORE:
Senior PML-N leader Khawaja Saad Rafique on Sunday called for a new Charter for Democracy and Charter for Economy, calling for political reconciliation and dialogue between political parties amid rising terrorism, economic distress and deepening polarization in the country.
Addressing a ceremony in Lahore, former federal minister Khawaja Saad Rafique said that Pakistan’s political stakeholders would ultimately have to sit together to reduce political instability and tackle mounting national challenges.
“The political temperature in Pakistan needs to be brought down,” he said, adding that daily incidents of violence and terrorism demanded a broader national consensus.
The former federal minister said both the government and the opposition should develop a consensus on key national issues, especially security and the economy, while insisting that all political forces that accept the constitution should be politically engaged.
He also suggested that the PTI could not indefinitely avoid talks with rival political parties. “If enemies can be reconciled internationally, then political forces in Pakistan can also engage in dialogue,” he noted.
Saad further called for constitutional protection of local governments, arguing that repeated dissolutions of local bodies had weakened governance and exacerbated provincial grievances.
While he expressed support in principle for smaller provinces, he opposed proposals that focused solely on the partition of Punjab, saying that all provinces should be treated equally.
Defending Nawaz Sharif’s silence on his ouster, Saad said: “People say Nawaz Sharif is not talking. How much more should he talk? He has already paid enough price for it.”
“Our party people don’t talk. I do. That’s why I have stayed away,” he said. Later in the speech, the PML-N leader shifted to regional and international issues, praising Pakistan’s nuclear tests in 1998 and crediting the armed forces, scientists and political leaders for protecting the country’s nuclear program despite international pressure and economic difficulties at the time.
