Ex-Pakistan PM Shahid Khaqan Abbasi says he won't contest general elections

ISLAMABAD: Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, the former prime minister of Pakistan, has declared not to run for the general elections that are slated to take place in February next year, ARY News reported.

A prominent member of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Shahid Khaqan, dodged queries about leaving the PML-N or starting a new political party during an interview with the media in Islamabad.

The estranged PML-N leader responded, "nor I felt any need of it," when asked if Nawaz Sharif had spoken to him.

"There will undoubtedly be general elections on February 8," he responded to another query raised by media, according to ARY News.

In response to a query, the former prime minister stated that the PTI came to office in an environment with comparable fair playing fields. He went on, "The constitution and the law are what define level playing."

In response to a query on "malicious intent" in the cases of Toshakhana and Al-Qadir, he stated that justice will be served, if not immediately, then at least five or six years later, in the same courts and legal system.

"I am facing cases in NAB courts for four years over attending a meeting," Shahid Khaqan Abbasi said.

According to earlier reports, the former premier is expected to formally declare his desire to leave the PML-N in the next few days.

The seasoned lawmaker had previously said that he would not run in the general elections, calling the forthcoming polls "pointless."