LAHORE - Sharing his reminiscences of political struggle with party men, former prime minister and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Mian Nawaz Sharif said Monday that he had spent more time in exile than in the PM House.
Addressing a parliamentary board meeting, Nawaz Sharif expressed his frustration over the treatment he received, questioning how a person who was the prime minister in the morning could be accused of hijacking at night, referring to the plane hijacking case filed against him by former dictator General Pervez Musharraf after the October 1999 coup.
Nawaz Sharif emphasised his commitment to upholding the constitution and law, lamenting that he and his party faced repercussions from those who breached the constitution. He criticised the alleged rigging in the 2018 elections, mentioning the malfunction of the Results Transmission System (RTS) and expressing disbelief that a leader who couldn’t build a single motorway was brought into power. Highlighting his government’s achievements, Nawaz Sharif mentioned the restoration of peace in Karachi and the construction of the Lowari tunnel in Chitral. However, he humorously questioned why people voted for other parties despite these accomplishments. He said that his party had tolerated a lot of excesses and fake cases were also registered against him.
He said the PML-N government had eliminated terrorism and established peace in Karachi and added that it would make a motorway from Karachi to Hyderabad. “The PML-N built the Lowari tunnel in Chitral but votes were given to the Jamaat-e-Islami. In PML-N’s tenure, electricity and petrol were inexpensive while the value of the rupee was far better than what is today,” he maintained.
Nawaz Sharif also mentioned the false cases against PML-N leaders, citing the fabricated case of heroin smuggling against Rana Sanaullah, which was later dismissed by the judges. Expressing disappointment over his removal from office, Nawaz Sharif stated that an elected prime minister was replaced with a ‘selected’ one. He touched on the country’s economic situation, mentioning the reversal of decisions and expressing concern about Pakistan’s status among the world’s most populous countries. During the meeting, Nawaz Sharif outlined his government’s achievements, including the construction of motorways, repayment of foreign loans, initiation of mega projects like CPEC, building dams, and ending load shedding. He pledged to continue working for the people, emphasizing the party’s empathy for the poor and highlighting initiatives to provide free bread to those in need.
Earlier, the parliamentary board meeting, co-chaired by Nawaz Sharif and Mian Shehbaz Sharif, addressed matters related to candidate interviews in Sindh province. PML-N Chief Organiser Maryam Nawaz and other senior leaders participated, discussing issues in Sindh, particularly Karachi, and exploring seat adjustments with other political parties. The meeting also reviewed the possibility of forming a wider provincial electoral alliance with MQM, GDA, and JUI-F.
Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Secretary General Ahsan Iqbal said on Monday that PML-N Quaid Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif had best record of serving the people of Sindh. Talking to media here, he said that whenever Nawaz Sharif came to power he made unprecedented efforts to establish and maintain peace in Sindh. He said that in April 2022 a unity government was formed and it was not a political alliance. He said that unity government was made on one point agenda and that was to save the country from default. He said all political parties would contest general elections with their own manifesto, adding that decision would be of people. He appealed to the people of Sindh to give a chance to the PML-N to serve them and the party would not disappoint them. To a question, he said, “PML-N respects all its party workers who keep their loyalty intact during hard times.”