Summary:

Shahid Khaqan Abbasi argues that fresh elections won’t solve Pakistan’s problems.
Abbasi suggests that key figures, including the army chief and CJP, should collaborate on governance.
He also criticizes NAB following his recent acquittal from corruption charges.

Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, former Prime Minister of Pakistan, has declared that new elections will not resolve the country’s issues. Speaking to journalists in Islamabad, Abbasi, now leading the Awam Pakistan party, emphasized that key leaders, including the army chief and the Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP), must work together to address the nation’s problems.

Abbasi’s comments come amid ongoing demands from opposition parties like the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) for new elections. These calls follow allegations of vote rigging and manipulation in the February 8 elections, raised by political groups including Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazl (JUI-F).

His statement follows the National Accountability Bureau’s (NAB) withdrawal of a corruption reference against him. Abbasi criticized NAB for its handling of the case, claiming it was politically motivated and asserting that the sooner NAB is abolished, the better. He highlighted that the reference related to alleged illegal appointments at Pakistan State Oil (PSO) was baseless, noting that only one witness testified against him over four years.

Abbasi and others were previously acquitted in an LNG terminal case earlier this year, further fueling his criticism of NAB’s practices and his call for a more effective governance approach.