LAHORE - Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Shehbaz Sharif has said his party is the only political party, which conducted parliamentary board’s meetings for 86 hours from June 4 to June 11.
He said that every candidate was interviewed during the meetings in order to make the process of award of tickets transparent and democratic.
“On the one hand people of Pakistan can see our performance and on the other a party awarded ticket to a candidate who passed away a year ago. Another party awarded ticket to a woman who was a PML-N ticket holder,” he said.
The PML-N president said the parliamentary board conducted interviews of hundreds of aspirants who submitted their applications for tickets. “All are equal in our party. The parliamentary board did not prefer anyone and I too appeared before it to be interviewed as an aspirant for the ticket,” he said.
The PML-N president said similarly former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Maryam Nawaz, Hamza Shehbaz and other senior leaders also appeared before the parliamentary board for interviews. He said the PML-N made democracy in Pakistan stronger by making the process of award of tickets democratic and transparent. The transparency of the parliamentary board was very much clear to even media persons who were invited to different meetings of the parliamentary board as observers to have a look at the whole process, the PML-N president maintained. Shehbaz said the parliamentary board provided each candidate full opportunity to present his/her case before the board so that they could prove their eligibility, political struggle and public service. “I myself presided over each meeting of the parliamentary board so that I could gauge the eligibility of each candidate. Every candidate who submitted application for PML-N ticket was important to us,” the PML-N president said.
Shehbaz said the party not only provided everyone an opportunity to put up their cases, but also gave them a chance to prove their suitability. Separately, Senator Pervez Rashid said former military ruler Pervez Musharraf will not come to Pakistan. Talking informally to media here yesterday, Rashid said that despite relaxation by the court, Musharraf will not come to Pakistan to face high treason case against him. Musharraf thanked former army chief Raheel Sharif on a talk show live from Dubai, he added. PML-N spokesperson Marriyum Aurengzeb said that Pervez Musharraf gave SOPs and laid down conditions for his return to the country and the court gave him concessions. On the other, a three-time prime minister sought a three-day exemption from appearance in the court to see his ailing wife abroad but he was not allowed.
She said administration of justice must be fair and equitable. She also talked about PTI leader Zulfi Bokhari whose name was removed from the ECL within an hour to let him leave the country. “What magic wand Zulfi held in his hand I don’t know,” Marriyum said.
Senator Mushahid Hussain Syed told the media that of all three prime ministerial candidates Shehbaz is the favourite one and most suitable for the country. The other two namely, Imran Khan and Asif Ali Zardari, have been rated far below in the surveys conducted by the Economist, Wall Street Journal and the Pildat.
OUR STAFF REPORTER