Says daily incidents of violence and terrorism require broader national consensus
LAHORE:
Senior PML-N leader Khawaja Saad Rafique on Sunday called for a new Charter of Democracy and a new Charter of Economy, calling for political reconciliation and dialogue between political parties amid rising terrorism, economic distress and growing polarization in the country.
Addressing a ceremony in Lahore, former federal minister Khawaja Saad Rafique said Pakistan’s political stakeholders should eventually sit together to reduce political instability and address growing national challenges.
“The political temperature in Pakistan needs to be lowered,” he said, adding that daily incidents of violence and terrorism required a broader national consensus.
The former federal minister said the government and opposition should reach consensus on key national issues, particularly security and the economy, while insisting that all political forces accepting the Constitution should engage politically.
He also suggested that the PTI cannot avoid talks with rival political parties indefinitely. “If enemies can be reconciled at the international level, then political forces in Pakistan can also have dialogue,” he remarked.
Saad further called for constitutional protection of local governments, arguing that repeated dissolutions of local bodies had weakened governance and aggravated provincial grievances.
While expressing principled support for smaller provinces, he opposed proposals focused solely on the division of Punjab, saying all provinces should be treated equally.
Saad defended Nawaz Sharif’s silence during his ouster, saying: “People say Nawaz Sharif doesn’t speak. How much more should he talk? He has already paid a pretty high price.
“Our party members don’t speak. I do. That’s why I kept myself free,” he said. Later in his speech, the PML-N leader turned 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.
