report in The Express Tribune, Dec 31, 2023
SHEIKHUPURA: PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif has said that on February 8 the people of Pakistan will have to choose between those who are committed to strengthening the nation and those who attacked their own country on May 9.
“These elections are no ordinary elections. You must come to vote with passion. When you cast your vote, you must see what the leader has done in the past,” Shehbaz said while addressing a rally at Farooqabad neighborhood of Punjab’s Sheikhupura district on Saturday.
“The people of Pakistan will choose between the architects of May 9 and the architects of Pakistan’s progress and development,” he added. The former premier was referring to the incidents of vandalism and arson that occurred after the arrest of PTI founder Imran Khan on May 9.
In his speech, Shehbaz highlighted the contributions of PML-N supreme leader Nawaz Sharif to the development of the country. He said Nawaz during his term as the prime minister eradicated power outages, curbed terrorism, and addressed unemployment.
“Nawaz Sharif distributed free laptops among youth, ensured free treatment for the poor, and established modern hospitals including Lahore’s Kidney and Liver Transplant Institute.”
He promised additional laptops for the youth if they stamped on the “tiger”–the electoral symbol of the PML-N–on the election day. Shehbaz assured people that under Nawaz Sharif’s leadership, the PML-N would work tirelessly for Pakistan’s prosperity.
Nawaz Sharif has served as the prime minister thrice and is hoping to be elected to the coveted post of the country’s chief executive for the fourth time.
Interestingly, the PML-N leader was disqualified in July 2017 by the Supreme Court for not disclosing the salary that he received from a firm owned by his son in his 2013 nominations papers.
The former premier was also convicted and sentenced in 2018 in two corruption cases registered on the order of the apex court. He was, however, acquitted in both the cases by the Islamabad High Court (IHC) respectively on November 29 and December 12.
Shehbaz told the gathering about the extremely crucial and precarious state of affairs at the time when he came into power in April 2022 after the ouster of former PM Imran Khan. “After I became the prime minister, inflation did rise, but it was due to Imran’s flawed policies,” he claimed.
He said he took up the reins of the country in a bid to save Pakistan from bankruptcy and thereby sacrificed his politics for the survival of the country. The country, he claimed, was facing a devastating situation due to wrong policies of the PTI for economy and foreign affairs.
“But by the grace of God Almighty we were able to steer Pakistan clear from the disaster of bankruptcy which would have brought chaos into the lives of every Pakistani,” he said.
The former premier lamented that it had been 76 years since Pakistan won independence but “we are still holding a begging bowl”. He pledged to work day and night for the development of the country, if Nawaz Sharif is elected to power.
Meanwhile, Nawaz Sharif— while addressing the PML-N Parliamentary Board meeting on Saturday—claimed that the PML-N is stronger and more united than ever before.
“[We are] focused, and committed to rescue the people of Pakistan from the current economic turmoil and steer the country back to development, progress and prosperity.”
Nawaz praised Shehbaz Sharif’s dedication for the party, the country and its people.
“Shehbaz proved his mettle with unparalleled performance. Ending the electricity shortage crisis of Pakistan would not have been possible without Shehbaz.” Nawaz said saving the nation from the disaster of bankruptcy was an extremely difficult task which Shehbaz took up and achieved.
https://tribune.com.pk/story/2451636/people-have-only-two-choices-shehbaz
