Faisalabad:Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Professor Ahsan Iqbal on Thursday called for restraint and political stability in the face of security and economic challenges.
Talking to media persons during his visit to the Faisalabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FCCI), he said that Pakistan needed peace, stability and economic recovery rather than political confrontation while legal and political disputes should be pursued through constitutional and judicial channels instead of street protests.
He said that Pakistan was already confronting security challenges and fighting terrorism which made it imperative to avoid such activities that could disrupt peace and order or adversely affect economic activity.
He said that the country had recently gained a new identity at the international level while its defense cooperation with Saudi Arabia and successes in this field had further strengthened its position.
In these circumstances, national unity and internal stability needed to be reinforced rather than weakened by political confrontation, he added.
Responding to a question about Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder, Federal Minister Ahsan Iqbal said that in his view, he was not a political prisoner but a person convicted by a court, adding that the £190 million case was based on documented matters.
He said that anyone who considered himself innocent should approach the courts, file an appeal and face the legal proceedings instead of resorting to street protests.
Ahsan Iqbal said that he himself had faced different cases in the past and he had ultimately been acquitted by courts. Legal issues should therefore be resolved through the judicial process, he added.
He stressed that political differences should be channelized through constitutional and legal means rather than protests, confrontation and street agitation as this would serve the national interest.
He said that Pakistan currently needed peace as it was engaged in a war against terrorism. The enemy was attempting to create instability through unconventional means, making it important to avoid any internal activity that could undermine law and order, he added.
He questioned whether activities leading to instability were benefiting Pakistan or those forces seeking to create disorder in the country.
It was for political stakeholders and the people themselves to determine how national interest and peace could be given priority under the prevailing circumstances, he added.
He urged serious and patriotic elements within the PTI to come forward and play their role in protecting both the party and the country from such elements whose activities could affect political stability as well as economic recovery.
Responding to another question, Federal Minister Ahsan Iqbal said that Pakistan urgently needed an empowered and effective local government system. Public problems could not be addressed efficiently at the grassroots level without transferring adequate powers and resources to local institutions, he added.
He said that 17 sectors had been transferred to the provinces under 18th Constitutional Amendment in 2010 but the provinces had not devolved these powers to the required extent at the grassroots level, resulting in increased centralization at the provincial level.
This situation had affected the delivery of public services and the ability to resolve problems at the local level, he added.
He said that the pace of progress in Pakistan’s social sectors between 2010 and 2025 had slowed compared with the progress achieved during the preceding decade from 2000 to 2010.
He expressed his view that empowered local governments should be established in around 160 districts of the country and provided direct funding from the National Finance Commission (NFC) so that basic public issues could be addressed at the district level.
He emphasized that merely holding local government elections would not be sufficient. The local institutions must also be given effective administrative powers, financial resources and decision-making authority, he added.
He said that provincial centralization in various sectors including education, health, population welfare, agriculture and municipal services had contributed to inadequate improvements during the past 15 years.
Empowered local governments could play a fundamental role in providing better public services closer to citizens’ doorsteps and resolving local problems promptly, he added.
He said that effective district-level local governments would also reduce the administrative burden on provincial governments and make public representation more effective.
He said that establishing an empowered local government system was not merely an administrative issue but also an important test for political parties and elected representatives.
He called upon political leadership to develop national consensus on the issue and establish a system under which local governments possessed sufficient powers and resources to genuinely address citizens’ problems.
He said that Pakistan needed cooperation among all institutions and political forces within their constitutional limits to achieve political stability, peace, economic recovery and effective governance.
Devolving authority to the grassroots level was imperative for finding sustainable solutions to public problems and improving governance, he added.