RAWALPINDI: Former prime minister and Awam Pakistan Party (APP) Chairman Shahid Khaqan Abbasi on Friday inaugurated his party’s first secretariat on Murree Road.

Addressing the inauguration ceremony he said that the political stability was necessary for the economic growth in the country.

“Political stability cannot achieve in a country where elections are stolen. The youth of this country are heading towards disappointment. The new generation wants a corruption-free Pakistan and a stable economy,” he said.

Former Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtukhwa Sardar Mehtab Abbasi, Chaudhry Sarfaraz Afzal, besides a large number of party members, were present at the ceremony.

Mr Abbasi said that the purpose of establishing Awam Pakistan Party is to eliminate corruption from the country. “The accountability of the people’s representative is done at the polling station. We have abolished that system,” he said.

He said the youth of this country demands education, respect for their opinion, employment and business opportunities, which can only be possible if the country runs in accordance with the constitution.

“Our parliament makes amendments in secret, without proper discussion or debate,” he said.

Additionally, the claim that many parliament members have bought their way into office raises questions about the integrity of the electoral process.. More than half of the people reached the parliament by using money, he alleged.

The major parties like PML-N, PTI, and PPP prioritise gaining power over serving the people. These parties have contributed to the country’s political instability, he said adding the accountability of the people’s representative is done at the polling station. We have abolished that system. He said that people wanted to change the system of the country. “People are fed up with the three major parties,” he said.

He said that soon the people will emerge as a major political force. Although this journey is not easy, it is the need of the time because there is no one to represent them genuinely, he said. He said that the country cannot live without democracy and democracy cannot function without the supremacy of the constitution.

Published in Dawn, February 22nd, 2025