LAHORE: Terming the February 8 general elections as the most important in the country’s history, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Shehbaz Sharif said on Wednesday that the people of Pakistan would decide about their future on February 8.
Talking to the media here at the PML-N Secretariat, Shehbaz said that the country faced political, economic, social and external challenges. “Pakistan’s history poses some very serious questions and one needs to analyze the history to find the answers,” he said, adding: “Pakistan was left behind in the race of economic development and one had to understand why other nations marched forward.”
He further said that they won the 2018 elections, but the party’s polling agents were removed and ballot papers stamped after the polling closed amid the shutdown of RTS (result transmission system) under an organized plan.
He highlighted the achievements of the PML-N governments in the past. He rejected the impression of being close to the establishment, adding that he remained in prison and faced excesses, which would not have happened if he toed the establishment’s thinking.
Answering a question about the level-playing field and alleged victimization of the former ruling party, he replied that holding intra-party polls was the PTI’s responsibility and no one else’s.
Talking about the PML-N’s supremo political career, he said that Nawaz Sharif went through different phases during his 40-year-long political career; the whole Sharif family faced all kinds of pressure and injustices but remained steadfast and did not surrender.
About the IMF deal, which has triggered rupee devaluation and record-high inflation, Shehbaz said that it was the PTI that had inked the agreement with the world’s top lender, making it mandatory for Pakistan to accept the terms and conditions set by the Washington-based institution. He said that the coalition government had saved Pakistan from default during its 16-month-long stint; otherwise, the country would have been in much worse condition than Sri Lanka.
He expressed confidence in his party’s enduring popularity despite being part of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM). He urged the people to move forward collectively, leaving personal interests behind. “We have to learn from the past; nothing will be done by crying,” he said, adding: “We have to forget our interests and think for the country’s development.”
Copyright Business Recorder, 2024
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