PML-N initiated 'process of change' 21 years ago: Nawaz

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz President and former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Saturday said the party had started the process of change 21 years ago by freeing the slave economy and putting Pakistan on the path of progress and faced bravely the forces supporting status quo.
"What is the change, how it is brought and what price of it is paid....we know better," he said. "The PML-N has the spirit of sacrifice and instead of bowing down, opposes those who stop the process of change," he added. Nawaz said: "We had started the process of change of status quo 21 years ago and if they wanted to play this game through their pawns we will face them and expose them. We will tell the truth to the nation."
Addressing a gathering of Members National and Provincial Assembly, office-bearers and workers belonging to Faisalabad Division, Nawaz said that the credit of kicking off the process of change in Pakistan also goes to PML-N. After becoming Prime Minister first time, he said he started work on the economic reforms agenda of Muslim League-N but the supporters of old and slave economy gathered around President of that time and tried to stop the process of change, as they wanted to maintain their possession on industries and banks.
Nawaz said the supporters of old and slave economy were in favour of having complete control over transfer of foreign exchange. They were against modern infrastructure and even wanted to continue the policy of waiting for years together for telephone connections.... but we freed the economy. He said: "We constructed airports, seaports and motorways and removed the restrictions on foreign exchange. We restored the self-respect of Pakistanis working abroad by setting up Green Channels at airports."
The PML-N leader said: "We gave these gifts to the nation but our government was toppled three years before its tenure could complete. We have paid the price of service to the nation." He added that free economy was provided to the country and the nation and the present modern economic structure is based on our policies, which was also praised by our neighbours. Had our government not toppled, Pakistan would have turned into a most prosperous country of the region, he added.
Nawaz said there would be no shortage of electricity, industry was not closed and no unemployment and menace of terrorism. He said even if it rained, the rulers wandered around with begging bowls whereas we had found the solution of our problems through indigenous resources.
The PML-N leader said organised, strong and active political parties are the asset of a nation. "Such political parties have laid the very foundation of modern civilised and developed countries. Unfortunately, this fact was not admitted in Pakistan and the process of dividing parties, toppling elected governments and forming puppet political parties was repeated which resulted in violation of Constitution, derailing of democracy and disintegration of the country but unfortunately no one learned lesson from it and this process was repeated again and again," he said.