by Mubashir Hassan in The Nation, Dec 15, 2023
LAHORE – The PML-N supremo Mian Nawaz Sharif Thursday expressed his optimism that people would back his party in the upcoming general elections to alleviate themselves from the troubles they had endured as a consequence of his political persecution in the last five years.
“The people themselves serve as the court, and hopefully, they will pronounce their judgment on February 8”, he said in his maiden televised address to his supporters following his legal victories in the alleged corruption cases culminating in the removal of major hurdles to qualify for the coming elections.
Nawaz Sharif said that he firmly believed that the people will make a decision in favour of a progressing and prospering Pakistan on 8th February.
Expressing gratitude to God Almighty and the people of Pakistan for standing by him all throughout, he said that he was happy that the truth had vindicated him, but he would be truly happy the day people of Pakistan would be freed from the suffering of excruciating inflation and economic strife inflicted upon them in the aftermath of his ouster.
The PML-N Quaid said, “My nation, although I had to knock repeatedly at the doors of the courts to be finally vindicated and provided justice, and freed, you need not do any of this. You are the courts and the judge and you shall liberate and free yourselves from this sentence of misery and suffering imposed on you since my ouster, by voting for a prosperous, progressing and developed Pakistan’’. He raised a plethora of questions to those who hatched a conspiracy against him and the people of Pakistan. He called for an explanation for plunging the country and its hardworking people into unspeakable crisis, economic strife, and suffering.
Nawaz said that he was grateful to Allah for being vindicated in the baseless and false cases. He said that he was thankful to the people for standing by him in these tough times. He pointed out that the verdicts given against him exposed the lies and deception as all cases against him turned out to be false, and the court acquitted him of all charges. “What sin was committed by Pakistan and its people to be pushed into a crisis during my tenure?” he questioned.
He thanked the nation over the messages of congratulations pouring in from all over the world. “The prayers of the people have always given me strength, and the nation also deserves congratulations on my success”, he said.
The PML-N leader said, “Even if my opponents found it necessary to oust me, entangle me in false cases, and impose unjust sentences in false cases. What crime did the people of Pakistan commit, that they were subjected to such torment? It saddens me that despite unprecedented development during my tenure, Pakistan, which was making progress, was pushed into darkness. I left the country with a growth rate of 6.1 percent, ended load shedding by adding 12,000 megawatts of new electricity to the national grid, and brought in more than $50 billion in foreign investment. However, the PTI’s government stopped the process of local and foreign investment in Pakistan. While PML-N took Pakistan out of the FATF grey list, the country was placed on the FATF’s grey list because of the terrible policies of the imposed government, turning the country into a beggar once again and pushing Pakistan into darkness.”
He said, “We had obtained relief from the IMF’s program in our era, and we had bid it farewell. But the PTI, in its government, once again placed the begging bowl in front of the IMF, burdening the country with more loans. “We crushed terrorism, but unfortunately, after we left, terrorism has raised its head again, and under the PTI government, Pakistan has once again become a victim of extremism and terrorism”, he asserted.
Sharif said, “I regret that after my ouster, due to wrong economic policies, the value of the Pakistani rupee has been lost, which was the strongest in the region. The country has become the victim of the most frightening inflation in history. How did the rate of inflation, which was at 3 to 4 percent, skyrocket to 40 percent? How did the price of a roti jump from Rs 5 to Rs 30? Why and how did we reach a point where the people of Pakistan were pushed into starvation? He asked why was sugar sold for more than Rs. 300 per kilogram. All this was the worst economic murder of the people in the history of the country.”
He questioned, “Why was the country plunged into an economic crisis after my tenure of progress? Why was the process of local and foreign investment stopped in Pakistan by PTI’s government?”.
Sharif said, “I regret that during our era, the poor used to get free medicines in hospitals, free treatment. He said that protecting the rights of women is our top priority, and Inshallah, I will be truly happy when the people are freed from the punishment of poverty and inflation, He said that it would take hours if he shared the organized conspiracy woven against him after 2013. It all started with the August 2014 sit-ins, and its first phase ended on 28th July 2016 when I was not only ousted from the office of Prime Minister but was also disqualified for life over, not taking salary from my own son”.
The former prime minister said, “The people of Pakistan still remember how whatsapp calls were made and the Gems were selected for the joint investigation team (JIT); how a three-member bench was constituted to monitor that JIT; how i was insulted by calling me ‘Sicilian Mafia’ and ‘Godfather’; how proceedings commenced on petition that had been rejected by the Chief Justice as frivolous; how a judge sent a message to the petitioner inviting him to approach the court; how National Accountability Bureau was ordered to file three references; how in a massive conflict of interest, the judge who gave the sentence against me, became a monitoring judge over accountability courts: and how senior judges were threatened to get desired decisions. All these details are no longer a secret, nor are the culprits who did all this. The proof and witnesses of my innocence in all of this came from avenues that I had never imagined, by the grace of God”. He said that he surrendered his cases to God’s gracious mercy. And today when he looks back at this journey of finally being vindicated, he sees the long and excruciatingly painful series of events where he was imprisoned for a long time; appeared before courts hundreds of times along with his daughter; and faced vicious and crass smear campaigns.
Nawaz said, “Every single day, I feel the pain of not being able to attend the funeral of my father; I could not attend the funeral of my mother; I could not spend with my beloved wife the last days of her life. It was only because of the strength given by God Almighty that I was able to brave all these indescribable acts of inhuman injustice and tyranny”.
The PML-N Quaid said, “After 6 years of unbearable tyranny and injustices, truth has prevailed and I have finally been vindicated. While it can be termed justice, it actually is just the redressal and rectification of the injustices inflicted upon him. He said he could neither bring back those 6 years, nor could he bring back those invaluable loved ones.”
He said, “Now, Inshallah, the voices of the people of my country, especially my mothers, sisters, daughters, elders, and youth, will end at this moment, when they are liberated from poverty and inflation, and the nation will earn its livelihood with dignity. I will Inshallah find true happiness, when Pakistan will return to the path of progress.” The former prime minister said, “The people of Pakistan know very well that Nawaz Sharif does not believe in lip-service and empty promises. He believes in God Almighty and God Almighty helps him achieve milestones for his nation. By the grace of God almighty and the prayers of my nation, I have proven that whatever I promise, I deliver through hardwood and great outcomes for the people of Pakistan.”
He went on to say that he had been ousted in the past and had always taken the country out of crisis every time he returned to power. He expressed unshakeable belief in the people of Pakistan and their desire for a progressing and prosperous Pakistan, for which they would vote in the upcoming general elections.
Meanwhile, in a statement on Thursday, former prime minister and PML-N President Mian Shehbaz Sharif asserted that the PTI was scheming to disrupt postponement of the February 8 general elections in the country.
Expressing his views, following the Election Commission’s decision to defer the training of returning officers due to a Lahore High Court ruling, which stopped the appointment of administrative officers as returning officers on PTI’s petition, Shehbaz labeled PTI’s petition as a plot to sabotage the elections. He accused PTI of attempting to escape from the election through its court applications. Comparing PTI’s actions to the cipher case, Shehbaz stated that PTI was plotting against the February 8 general elections, criticizing PTI for its alleged commitment to double standards and a hypocritical policy. He pointed out that while PTI publicly announces that the elections will proceed as scheduled, it simultaneously files petitions in the courts seeking delays, suggesting the party is seeking escape routes to avoid the polls.
https://www.nation.com.pk/15-Dec-2023/nawaz-hopes-people-s-verdict-will-back-pml-n-in-february-8-polls
