Former PM asks party workers to rejoice today, call those who decided to disqualify him. Says today decision in Panama case by former CJP Saqib Nisar stands nowhere. Leg pulling weakened country and is still ongoing: Nawaz. PM Shehbaz says PTI founder spewed venom against army martyrs, Ghazis. Imran’s tainted face now exposed to nation: PM Shehbaz. After six years Nawaz re-elected unopposed as party chief in Lahore meeting.
LAHORE - Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) newly elected President Muhammad Nawaz Sharif on Tuesday praised Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s government for showing good performance and said that economic indicators were already improving.
Addressing the General Council Meeting (GCM) at a local hotel, he urged Shehbaz Sharif to work with passion and commitment as there would be one to two years of hardship but then prosperity would arrive.
He said, “Let party workers rejoice today and asked the workers to be happy as today the decision in Panama Papers case by former chief justice of Pakistan Saqib Nisar stands nowhere.” Nawaz Sharif said, “ Call those who decided that Nawaz Sharif is disqualified forever.”
He said, “With the grace of Allah Almighty, Nawaz Sharif is standing before you again.” Why the decision was made and for what reason, he questioned and told that just because Nawaz Sharif didn’t take salary from his son.
He congratulated his party members and brother Shehbaz Sharif for steadfastly holding on to the party banner through thick and thin. Nawaz Sharif alleged that many forces had tried to harm his relationship with his brother and the PML-N supporters but Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif continued to stay loyal.
The PML-N president claimed that many years ago his brother was offered the prime minister’s seat on the condition of sidelining Nawaz but Shehbaz Sharif rejected the offer.
He also lauded Maryam Nawaz and Hamza Shehbaz for facing many trials, including prison sentences, with “bravery and strength” for the party and country’s sake.
He also appreciated Rana Sanaullah, Bashir Memon, Ishaq Dar, Ameer Muqam, Shah Ghulam Qadir, Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry, Khawaja Saad Rafique, Khawaja Asif, Hanif Abbasi, Ahsan Iqbal, Shahid Khaqan Abbassi, Mian Javed Latif and others for extending unwavering support to the party even during difficult times. He said, “The credit goes to the PML-N that whenever it has come to power, it turned around the country in the real sense.”
He said that if success journey had not been halted then today Pakistan would have been biggest power of the region and even in the continent Asia.
Nawaz Sharif said that it was very unfortunate that leg pulling had been continuing since 1947 and was still ongoing and this thing had weakened the country a lot.
He further said that when his government was toppled in 2017, price of ‘Roti’ was Rs 4, sugar was available at a rate of Rs 50 per kg, petrol was Rs 65 per litre, dollar was at rate of Rs 104, gold was Rs 50,000 per tola, vegetables were available at inexpensive rates, unemployment was reducing in the country and there was no begging bowl in our hands.
He said, “Credit goes to the PML-N for rooting out terrorism from the country, restoring peace in Karachi, constructing motorways, overcoming electricity load-shedding, ensuring stability in the stock market, starting China Pakistan Economic Corridor Project and improving foreign reserves.”
He said that unfortunately few people halted the country’s prosperity journey. Fake cases were made against the PML-N leadership, he maintained.
While criticizing the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder, Nawaz asked which of the cases against Imran Khan were fake. Regarding Youm-e-Takbeer, Nawaz Sharif said that with the grace of Allah Almighty, Pakistan was made a nuclear-armed nation by rejecting nerve-wracking pressures.
We always need guidance from Nawaz: Shehbaz
Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif said that Muhammad Nawaz Sharif has once again been elected unopposed as the President of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz because of his great love and services to the people of Pakistan.
Addressing the PML-N General Council Meeting at a local hotel, he said that in the 2018 elections, Nawaz Sharif was defeated through various intrigues, adding that Nawaz Sharif’s fault was that he transformed the country into a nuclear power and also put it on the path to speedy development. He said that unfortunately, Muhammad Nawaz Sharif was implicated in the false Panama cases, asserting that his crime was that he served Pakistan and made Pakistan a nuclear power, while Pakistan had been progressing fast in industrial, agricultural and all other sectors. Under a sheer conspiracy, he said, attempts were made to defame Nawaz Sharif in the comity of nations by ruining his national services and he was forced to quit Pakistan but today, the faces of all those conspirators are tainted, while Nawaz Sharif has once again succeeded to foil all those unlawful tactics and intrigues. With dedication and hard work, the PML-N governments in federal and Punjab under the dynamic leadership of Muhammad Nawaz are surpassing every milestone and taking Pakistan towards speedy development, he said and acknowledged the cooperation of the allied parties including Pakistan People’s Party, PML-Q and MQM in the government. He added that all the allied parties are sincerely working day and night for the economic and prosperity of the country. He vowed to take Pakistan to that level of progress and prosperity as it had been in 2017 under the leadership of then Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif.
Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif said, “I extend my thanks to, especially our party’s seasoned and elder politician leader Raja Zafarul Haq, and all those PML-N fellows who stood firm with the party through thick and thin, the party leaders and workers from Balochistan, Sindh, KPK, Punjab, Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir on their active participation in the general council of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz. I am also thankful to all the honorable members of the assemblies for being here.”
Shehbaz Sharif also congratulated Rana Sanaullah and his team for the successful conduct of the party election. He said that today, he was relieved of his duties as the party president because Muhammad Nawaz Sharif was elected as the PML-N President uncontested. He said that under the guidance of Muhammad Nawaz Sharif, the Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz is serving the people in the province, and in the same way, a coalition government under the patronage of Nawaz Sharif in the federal government is working day and night to restore the country’s economy. “We always need guidance from Nawaz Sharif and it is my firm belief that if we all work together day and night, then Pakistan will definitely come out of these difficulties and become the same Pakistan that Nawaz Sharif had left in 2017,” he added.
“I want to say in very clear words that when PTI founder could not defeat Muhammad Nawaz Sharif along with his accomplices, he changed the ballot box in the dark of night using the last resort,” he said and mentioned that the PTI founder had spewed venom against army martyrs and Ghazis and their families who rendered supreme sacrifices for the nation and the country, asserting that the nation will never forgive him and all those his associates who did the same. The PTI founder had stolen 190 million pounds and also sold out the precious watch in the market but now his tainted face was exposed to the nation, he said.
Earlier, former prime minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif was once again elected unopposed as president of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) after six years.
The party’s Chief Election Commissioner Rana Sanaullah made the announcement about the election results in a general council meeting of the party held at a local hotel on Tuesday.
On this occasion, Rana Sanaullah said that he was going to present the proceedings that took place for the post of party president. He stated that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif tendered his resignation from the position of party president on May 11, 2024, mentioning reasons for his resignation and explaining that in 2017, under a conspiracy, Nawaz Sharif was removed and false cases were made against him. “Shehbaz Sharif further said that he wanted to entrust the party leadership back to Nawaz Sharif as all fake cases against him have come to an end,” he added.
Rana Sanaullah said that following Shehbaz Sharif’s resignation, a meeting of the central working committee was held on May 18, as per the party constitution. The committee asked Shehbaz Sharif to continue his responsibilities until the election of a new president and also constituted an election commission to hold the elections, he added.
He mentioned that May 28 was the last day for the submission of nomination papers and ten nomination papers were received during the stipulated time, wherein Nawaz Sharif was nominated as a candidate.
He explained that in this situation, Nawaz Sharif was the only candidate whose papers had been received and approved. The action was implemented under Articles 15, 120A, and 121 of the party constitution. Today’s meeting, fully supporting and approving of this action, declared Muhammad Nawaz Sharif as the elected president of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, he said.
Rana Sanaullah stated that the members who were in favor of this resolution should stand up and express their approval. At this, all the participants present in the general council meeting fully supported the resolution.
Earlier, while addressing the meeting, Deputy Prime Minister Senator Ishaq Dar said that in 2017, their leader was disqualified. He said that at this stage, certain amendments were proposed in the party’s constitution so that Nawaz Sharif could retain his post as party president. However, the then chief justice of Pakistan, Saqib Nisar, invalidated these amendments, he added.
He said that on the instructions of Nawaz Sharif, the party’s presidency was handed over to Shehbaz Sharif, who said on the first day that it was Nawaz Sharif’s trust.
Speaking on this occasion, PML-N General Secretary Ahsan Iqbal said that those who removed the leader from the party in 2017 were being disgraced in the annals of history, whereas their leader and party succeeded. He added that the election of Nawaz Sharif would make their party a nuclear power.
Newly elected PML-N President Muhammad Nawaz Sharif and Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif also addressed the meeting.
The PML-M general council meeting was also attended by other party leaders, including Hamza Shehbaz , Federal Information Minister Attaullah Tarar, Federal Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif, Federal Law Minister Azam Nazir Tarar, Speaker National Assembly Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, Federal Minister for Industries Rana Tanveer Hussain, Federal Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzaib, Federal Minister for Gilgat Baltistan and Kashmir Affairs Ameer Muqam, PML-N Information Secretary and Senior Provincial Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb, Khawaja Saad Rafique, Pervaiz Rasheed, Engr. Khurram Dastgir, Shaza Fatima Khawaja, Tehmina Daultana, Rafique Rajwana, Dr. Musaddiq Malik, Chaudhry Tanveer, Javed Latif, Rana Muhammad Iqbal, Lt. Gen. (Retd.) Abdul Qayyum, Irfan Siddiqui.