• Ahsan Iqbal says PML-N, PPP united for Pakistan’s betterment.
• He advocates for collaborative politics rather than confrontation.
• Iqbal hopeful of improvement in country’s digital infrastructure.
  

Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal said on Monday that there are ups and downs in politics, downplaying the Pakistan Peoples Party’s (PPP) warning of quitting the coalition government in the centre.

PPP spokesperson Shazi Marri had a day earlier expressed annoyance over the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) not taking her party on board in the decision-making process, warning that the “federal government will collapse the day PPP withdraws support”.

She said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif-led government kept the PPP and the Sindh government in the dark about the establishment of the Pakistan Maritime & Sea Port Authority (PMSPA).

The PPP spokesperson also said they had long been demanding to convene a meeting of the Council of Common Interests (CCI) as well, but no meeting of the CCI was convened in the last 11 months.

“There’s always a bit of a musical rhythm within a coalition government, just like within a family. Within a family, siblings or family members might have their disagreements.

“But that doesn’t mean there’s a serious rift. Whatever the issue is, we handle it internally in a mature manner,” the planning minister told reporters in Karachi, speaking alongside PPP leader and Sindh Minister Nasir Hussain Shah.

Explaining further, the federal minister said that the PML-N and the PPP are the country’s major political parties with their distinct ideologies. However, he maintained, that they are in agreement on Pakistan’s development — to stand on one page for the country’s interest.

“This understanding was the foundation of the Charter of Democracy signed by Nawaz Sharif and Benazir Bhutto. It reflects the essence of democracy, where two mature political parties collaborate for the country’s betterment.”

The federal minister further said that, given the current circumstances, senior leaders from both parties believe the country requires collaborative politics rather than confrontation.

Iqbal mentioned that Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb would convene the National Finance Commission’s (NFC) meeting soon.

‘Securing cyberspace’

The minister was also asked about the state of the country’s digital infrastructure, given the ongoing internet disruptions that have persisted since early last year.

Iqbal, who is also an engineer, said that technology is a “huge opportunity” as well as a “threat”. He mentioned that cyberspace is a new frontier, just like a nation defends its borders, it also needs to defend its cyberspace.

“Every country is striving to protect its cyberspace, as failing to do so could cripple the nation by compromising its energy, financial, and insurance structures,” he said.

The minister said that every country, from Australia to America, is working to secure its cyberspace. Pakistan, he noted, has been late in making this decision.

Iqbal said the government is providing uninterrupted VPN service to software houses, which has also resulted in a 34% increase in software exports. “This is a temporary phase, you will see a gradual improvement.”

He said that Pakistan faces “hidden” challenges, for which the government needs to work in order to ensure the security of its people. The minister mentioned that there are claims that the US elections were hijacked through social media.

“If the US faces such challenges, we are way behind them,” he mentioned.