Countries around us reached the Moon but Pakistan not rising from the Earth: Nawaz Sharif
Lahore, Dec 21: Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif has held the military establishment responsible for the country's economic woes, saying the countries around us have reached the Moon but Pakistan is not rising from the Earth.
"Pakistan has been stuck in difficulties. We go two steps forward and then 10 steps backwards this has been happening for the last 75 years. Who is responsible for this?" the 73-year-old Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo questioned, indirectly referring to the powerful military.
He was addressing the parliamentary board meeting here on Wednesday.
Referring to India, Sharif said: "The countries around us have reached the Moon while we could not rise from the Earth who is responsible for this?"
Early this week, Sharif had said neither India nor the United States are behind Pakistan's miseries. "No one else but we are responsible for our downfall as we shot ourselves in the foot."
On Thursday, the three-time former premier spoke to his party's minority members here and lauded their contributions for the development of the country.
"There were many comrades of Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah who played their part in making Pakistan," he said, adding that a national leader does not discriminate against anyone on the basis of religion. He said the minority community is Pakistan's asset.
Sharif reiterated that those who drove Pakistan into an unprecedented crisis and made the lives of Pakistanis unbearably miserable should be made accountable.
He would often hold former army chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa and ex-ISI chief Gen Faiz Hamid and two former chief justices of Pakistan Saqib Nisar and Asif Saeed Khosa responsible for Pakistan's woes. He said they ousted him from power in 2017 and imposed Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf supremo Imran Khan on the nation.
"Unimaginable damage has been done to his country and those responsible for it will not go unaccounted for," he declared.
Sharif, the only Pakistani politician who became the prime minister of the coup-prone country for a record three times, returned to Pakistan in October after a four-year self-imposed exile to lead his party in the general elections. He has been receiving PM-designate protocol with the blessings of the military.
Besides, all his corruption cases in which he was convicted have been set aside after the Islamabad High Court has given him a clean chit.
The PTI alleges that under the 'London Plan' Nawaz Sharif will be made the Prime Minister following the February 8 polls with the blessing of the military establishment under Army Chief Gen Asim Munir and Imran Khan and his party will be crushed.
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ISKCON urges Indian intervention following priest's arrest in Bangladesh
Dhaka: The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) has called on the Indian government to take immediate steps to secure the release of its priest, Chinmoy Krishna Das, detained by Bangladeshi authorities. The arrest occurred near Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka.
Das, a prominent ISKCON leader and former divisional organising secretary for Chattogram, faces sedition charges stemming from an October 25 incident. According to a case filed on October 31, 19 individuals, including Das, allegedly placed a saffron flag over the Bangladeshi flag on the Independent Pillar (Shadhinata Smathamva) during a rally organised by the Hindu community under the banner Sanatan Jagaran Mancha.
ISKCON has strongly denied any involvement in terrorism, describing the allegations as "baseless and unacceptable." In a statement, ISKCON declared, "It is outrageous to make baseless allegations that ISKCON has anything to do with terrorism anywhere in the world. ISKCON urges the Government of India to engage with Bangladesh to secure the release of Sri Chinmoy Krishna Das."
Hindu communities in Bangladesh have staged protests demanding better legal protection and the establishment of a minority affairs ministry under the interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus.
Meanwhile, Bangladeshi police have arrested two other suspects, Rajesh Chowdhury and Hriday Das, in connection with the case. The remaining accused include Ajay Dutta, Leela Raj Das Brahmachari, Gopal Das Tipu, and several others. ISKCON spokesperson Radharamn Das expressed concerns over Das's safety, stating that he had been moved to an undisclosed location by the police.
