PESHAWAR: Pakistan Muslim League-N Quaid Nawaz Sharif on Friday said the government must accept the court verdicts for the sake of solidarity and integrity of the country.

Briefing reporters after presiding over the PML-N’s provincial council meeting at the residence of Iqbal Zafar Jhagra near Peshawar, he said if he were the president and enjoyed immunity, he would even then go to courts to plead his case and clear his name.

PML-N MNAs Ahsan Iqbal, Khwaja Saad Rafiq, Sardar Mehtab Ahmed Khan, Pir Sabir Shah and other party leaders were also present on the occasion. Nawaz Sharif said his party had always opposed the US drone attacks in the tribal areas as he had been condemning the killing of innocent people in these strikes. He said the US was carrying out drone attacks in collusion with the Pakistani government. “The government was issuing statements only and doing nothing,” he claimed while quoting reports in the American press. He said the rulers had given a free hand to the United States for carrying out the drone attacks but were opposing such strikes through the media. He termed it hypocrisy.

The former prime minister said the National Assembly had unanimously passed a resolution on tackling terrorism, drone attacks and other relevant issues and formed a special committee that also drafted terms of reference, but the resolution was never implemented.

The PML-N Quaid said the conference on the Afghan problem taking place in London should have been held in Pakistan. “Islamabad should have taken initiative to hold dialogue with the Taliban to solve the problem,” he added. He said only revolutionary measures could get Pakistan out of the prevailing crisis.

The PML-N Quaid said the rule of law could solve all the problems besides strengthening democracy in the country. “Instead of giving lectures, the government should respect laws and follow them,” he said. He said President Asif Zardari had disappointed him by not implementing the Charter of Democracy.

About the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO), he said it was a gift from a dictator and it only benefited the big fish. The PML-N leader said the government would have to accept the supremacy of the Constitution and independence of the judiciary. “It was essential for the survival of democracy to fully implement the court decisions and accept the supremacy of the Constitution,” he stressed.

Expressing his concern over unemployment, price hike and deteriorating law and order situation, he said the rulers should make concrete policies to overcome the core issues and to minimise the miseries of the nation.

Nawaz rejected demands by certain people for a national government, and said: “There is no concept of a national government in the Constitution.” He vowed to visit every nook and corner of the country to reorganise the party at the grassroots level.

Online adds: Nawaz Sharif said: “Our aim is not to get power and we are not friendly opposition but friendly for Pakistan only.” “Presently, we all have to protect the country,” he added.

He said Pakistan was passing through worst economic and political crises and new corruption scandals were emerging on daily basis and, which were being protected through black laws like the NRO, adding, in such crucial times, the PML-N badly needed active, sincere and progressive activists to protect the country from destruction and make the party strong.

He pointed out that both democracy and inaction could not go together nor corruption could be pardoned in civilised democratic societies. It was necessary for the government to resolve the problems of masses and the country and face the challenges by taking all the democratic forces on board, he said.

According to him, the PML-N would take the nation forward on the pattern of the Pakistan Movement in order to solve the problems created by inaction and inefficiency of the rulers. “We believe in clean and noble politics and will ensure realisation of dreams of our elders to 170 million strong Pakistani nation by following in their footsteps and would give new vision on issues of employment, health, education, economic and political,” he said and added that internal and external enemies had inflicted huge losses to nuclear Pakistan.

“The way we had not compromised on making Pakistan a nuclear power and similarly now no compromise should be made on national interests,” he recalled and added that there were a lot of problems, including power, gas, water and employment and the PML-N had to devise comprehensive polices to resolve them.

“As we had showed courage for becoming nuclear power and got united for reinstating the deposed judges and similarly now we should also get united against corruption and inaction,” he added.

He called for accountability of the people involved in murder of Nawab Akbar Bugti and writing off loans and breaking and violating the Constitution, adding parliament be made supreme and issues must be resolved by mutual consultations instead of one man show. He termed the SC verdict on the NRO good omen for Pakistan.