PML-N leader pledges to put country on path of development if his party voted to power n Former PM says Imran who spoiled society was brought by replacing him n Those who brought PTI chief to power are equally responsible for country’s woes.

SIALKOT   -  Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif said Saturday that political stability is a must to move the country forward. “We have to re­build the country afresh. After realising what has happened to this country, a person like me thinks 10 times how the country could be put on the right path again,” the former prime minister stat­ed this while addressing a ceremony at the Sialkot Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI). 

Nawaz Sharif also said that he was replaced by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan who de­stroyed the society by promoting hate culture. “I was replaced by a man who knows nothing expect abusing others. A man who destroyed the society was brought into power,” he added. “My daughter was put behind the bars while attempts were made to hand death penalty to me.” 

Nawaz Sharif further said that his party along with others will make an all-out effort to get the country out of crises. While addressing PML-N workers convention at the resi­dence of former defence minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif at Sialkot Cantonment. He said, “Inshallah, we will be able to get the country out of the darkness very soon and lead the country on the path to devel­opment. If the people support the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and vote to power in the 2024 elections, I assure that we will put the country back on the path to development and prosperity and re­move the darkness forever.”

He said, “I am loyal to my nation. We have been punished for no reason. I am not disappointed and I will not let you be disappointed. ’I have seen many difficult times. I was in power and also faced conflicts of interest. I probably faced more sentences and cases than the number of years of my rule. The political vendetta the PML-N had faced in 2017 has now ended. But I don’t know what the reason was.’’

He said, ‘’My government was top­pled without any reason. We our­selves had dragged our country to the quagmire’’. The country and the nation have suffered a lot during the previous government of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), but it has to be repaired by you and us together because we have always worked for the interest of the country and nev­er done anything against the coun­try’s interest.”

The PML-N supremo said that those who brought the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief to pow­er were equally ‘’responsible’’ for the country’s woes. 

He said, “It is our responsibility and duty to free the people from in­flation and poverty. If the develop­ment and policy of our era had con­tinued, the country’s economy would not have been in this condition today.

We have to take decisions for the economy with courage and bravery. Inshallah, together we will work to get the country and nation out of problems.”

He said that in 1993, when the rupee was stable, poverty was de­creasing, people were prosperous, a network of motorways was being laid all over the country, but then suddenly the PML-N government was terminated without any reason. “Then the same thing happened in 2017. The country was prosperous, the rupee was also stable; there was no inflation; bread was also cheap, the CPEC was progressing rapidly; we had also eliminated terrorism and loadshedding. The poor people of the country did not have any prob­lem, but then the country was de­stroyed and the judges of that time sentenced me only for the crime of not taking salary from my son and then exiled me,” he maintained.

The former premier said: ‘’This country was and is quite beautiful, and we could have made it paradise’’.

He recalled why the elections were rigged and took an indirect dig at the PTI chief, saying, ‘’Such a person was imposed, who used foul language. Those who brought him to power were equally responsible.’’

Nawaz Sharif further said that he was replaced by someone (PTI Chairman Imran Khan) who only knows how to verbally abuse others, questioning why was there elector­al manipulation in 2018 and why the Results Transmission System (RTS) was made un-operational. 

The former premier said, “This person (Imran) destroyed our cul­ture and society and we cannot hand over our country to such peo­ple. Even though injustice was done to us, we never acted against the in­terest of the country. He emphasised learning a lesson from the past, or else Pakistan would lag behind oth­er nations. He said, ‘’The airport in Sialkot will be up to the mark. There is potential in Sialkot to surpass re­cords in terms of exports. The for­mer premier said that our country is a very good country and our people are also very good and hardwork­ing who have so much power that they can make their country stand among developed countries.

Nawaz Sharif said, ‘’I am very hope­ful that I will meet you again in Si­alkot during the election campaign. ’.

Former Defence Minister Kha­waja Muhammad Asif said that in his 34-year-old political career, his leader Muhammad Nawaz Shar­if guided him at every point. “I had said on the floor of the assembly that my leader will come. Those who wanted to eliminate my leader Muhammad Nawaz Sharif from pol­itics were themselves eliminated.”

He said that Nawaz Sharif will be­come the Prime Minister of the coun­try for the fourth time on February 8, 2024. “Whenever Nawaz Shar­if came to power, he started public welfare projects for the residents of Sialkot. The Sialkot-Lahore Mo­torway is also a gift of Nawaz Sharif, which will be built up to Rawalpin­di and the country will develop fur­ther.” Former finance minister Ishaq Dar, Maryam Nawaz, former Min­ister for Planning and Special Ini­tiative Ahsan Iqbal, former Federal Information Minister Maryam Au­rangzeb, Pervaiz Rashid, Senator Sa­jid Mir, Shaza Fatima Khawaja, Mem­bers of the National and Provincial Assemblies of Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) from Sialkot and a large number of people were also present on this occasion.