LAHORE: PML-N leader Nawaz Sharif speaks to party men during a meeting at model Town Secretariat on Thursday. PM Shehbaz Sharif is also present.–Photo by PML-N.

LAHORE   -   An important consultative meeting of the top leadership of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) was held under the chair of party chief Muhammad Nawaz Sharif on Thursday.

Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif also participated in the meeting held at the party secretariat in Model Town. According to party sources, the meeting focused on providing relief to the public, particularly in relation to the high electricity bills.

Addressing the meeting, Mian Nawaz Sharif said that the PML-N had always found a way through challenges and it was a test of leadership’s abilities to provide relief to the public even in the most difficult circumstances.

“Expensive electricity bills are unbearable for the public. PTI’s destruction has brought inflation and expensive bills, but the public expects relief from us. Saving the country from default and bringing back economic stability is proof of your patriotism through political sacrifice. “Just as we saved the country from default, saving the public from default is now our great test,” Nawaz Sharif emphasized in the meeting.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif briefed the party president on the outlines of the national economic agenda. After finalising the national economic plan, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will brief Party President Muhammad Nawaz Sharif.

“We have prepared a comprehensive economic agenda to solve all the country’s problems. We have provided relief to protected and non-protected electricity consumers using up to 200 units for three months,” said the prime minister, adding that “We have given relief to 86 per cent of the public by cutting 50 billion rupees from the development budget.

Sources privy to the meeting said that Nawaz Sharif asked party men to exercise extreme caution when making public statements about Lt-Gen (retired) Faiz Hameed. But he also stressed that accountability was crucial for those who had either harmed the country or supported harmful figures.

Also, the legal team’s report on the proposed constitutional amendment to extend judges’ tenures was reviewed in the meeting. Additionally, a proposal to ban public demonstrations in Islamabad and Punjab for maintaining law and order was considered.

The meeting also addressed the government’s strategy for managing opposition within the political arena.

The meeting was also attended by Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq, Khawaja Saad Rafique, Hamza Shehbaz, Rana Sanaullah, Salman Shehbaz, Federal Ministers Ahsan Iqbal, Ata Tarar, Awais Leghari, Khawaja Asif, Ali Parvez Malik, Bilal Azhar Kayani, Pervez Rashid, Maryam Aurangzeb and federal secretary Rashid Mehmood Langrial.