Former Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf on Saturday said a collective wisdom was critical to ward off internal and external threats faced to Pakistan but unfortunately politicians had become intolerant which was not in interest of the country. Responding to media queries at Lahore Judicial Complex, where Raja came to appear in a reference regarding alleged illegal appointments in Gujranwala Electric Supply Company (Gepco).

In wake of latest Afghan border conflict he said "Our borders are well protected, however, foreign policy has been failed on many avenues". To another question about expulsion of a delegation of Pakistani students from India and protocol given to Indian steel magnet Jindal, Raja Pervez Ashraf said that the Pakistan government should abandon double standards and protect the interests of the State. He said personal relations should be given priority on national interest. The former Prime Minister talking about his case said he was being prosecuted for giving low scale jobs to poor people. Without naming Panama Papers case against Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his family, Raja Pervez said we respect the judiciary but there should be no double standard.

"If I can appear before court then everybody should appear before the courts," he added. Talking about power crisis, the former premier said the incumbent rulers once used to criticise PPP for establishing rental power projects and now to overcome electricity crisis, they have been relying upon the same mechanism.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2017