.:To a question, the prime minister said he chaired two meetings of National Security Committee and Pakistan’s then former ambassador to the United States and present Foreign Secretary Dr Asad Majeed told there that he sent the report of his conversation with the US State Department official Donald Lu in a cypher.
The ambassador told the meeting that it was never mentioned in the cypher that the United States was conspiring against the then government in Pakistan, he narrated.
The prime minister said Imran Niazi gave contradictory statements on the cypher issue and on various occasions held different personalities and the US responsible for the removal of his government and then withdrew his accusations.
At one point Imran claimed that as he was getting close to China and Russia, therefore, his government was removed, Shehbaz said, while stressing, “It was my government that improved relations with China and Russia.”
Then Imran Niazi said he lost the cypher, he said adding as prime minister Imran Niazi could have read the cypher but he should not have taken it with him as it was confidential.
“If the cypher was lost by Imran Niazi then how it got published now?” he wondered. The law enforcement agencies were investigating the matter of cypher, he added.
Talking about foreign relations, he said his government revived badly damaged relations with the United States and he himself met with various delegations from the US and Foreign Minister Bilawal met the Secretary of State and US Congressmen on numerous occasion in a bid to restore ties.
“I told the American ambassador in Pakistan that we wanted better relations with the United States.”
He said the perception that his government was “imported” was fabricated, adding his government restored ties and received support from different friendly and brotherly countries. “For instance if we were imported government, then we should have received open support from the IMF,” he observed.
He said that the United States did not oppose the IMF programme for Pakistan.
He said Pakistan as a developing country was faced with numerous challenges and should do its best to promote good ties with all countries.
To another question, he said the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC) would focus on agriculture, information technology, mineral development and water resources.
He said according to the ground realities of Pakistan, it had 33 years of martial law which ultimately failed and also democratic governments which were not that strong.
So everybody should work together now to bring prosperity in the lives of the people, he said while giving reasons for forming the SIFC in which army would have a role for attracting investment.
The prime minister said Pakistan had fertile land, and abundant water and mineral resources but it could not get benefit from them and it even wasted billions of dollars on fighting cases in international courts on issues of mining.
Now a law had been made and the federal and provincial governments and army would collaborate on execution of the development projects undertaken under the SIFC, he elaborated.
He was of the view that youth could bring revolution in Pakistan through use of information technology.
He reminded that Imran Niazi was following a hybrid model of governance and General (R) Qamar Bajwa gave unprecedented support to Imran Niazi but he used this support for putting members of opposition in jails and for abusing and maligning them.
Shehbaz said, “I am not happy that Imran Niazi is in jail,” adding, “Although, when we were sent to jail, Imran Niazi made statements that he put his political opponents in jail, then he personally victimized his opponents and asked for their mistreatment in jail by denying them facilities of bed, home food and medicine.”
“I was forced to sleep on floor and then I was made to travel in armoured personnel carriers despite the problem of my backbone.”
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