Pakistan needs healing: Nawaz Sharif

Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif has said that Pakistan needs a healing touch and he will ensure to mend and undo the damage caused to Pakistan at all levels if elected by the people of Pakistan on 8 February elections.

In an interview with The News and Geo here, the former premier said his unceremonious removals through conspiracies had caused serious damage to Pakistan economically, politically and socially. The three-times former PM said: “Pakistan needs a healing touch. Pakistan needs hope and unity to start a new chapter to control the damage and to build the nation as a strong and meaningful entity.”

This was Nawaz Sharif’s last interview on the day he addressed a large and enthusiastic crowd in a town in Kasur, around 60 minutes away from the Jati Umra estate where Sharif lives with his daughter Maryam Nawaz Sharif.

Several recent surveys have put Nawaz Sharif’s party ahead of his rivals including Imran Khan’s PTI and Bilawal Bhutto’s PPP. In the last few weeks, Nawaz Sharif’s party narrowed the popularity gap and then went ahead in the ratings. He has also been called “the king of comebacks” by the BBC for a popular perception that he is highly likely to become the prime minister of Pakistan for the fourth time.

Nawaz Sharif said it was due to “Allah’s blessings that the people of Pakistan acknowledge that we delivered infrastructure development and economic progress during our terms in office and they pose confidence in Pakistan. As to who becomes the premier of Pakistan next, it’s in the hands of the electorate and they are the ultimate decision makers. If we get the mandate to serve the nation again then we will do everything we can to help our nation.”

Nawaz Sharif said that he was unfairly removed from power, targeted and victimised and that resulted in harm to Pakistan’s economic progress and social cohesion but he said he didn’t believe in revenge and will focus only on delivery on the economic front to provide relief to the masses. Sharif said: “I have suffered personal losses but I treat that as a personal matter. It’s the Pakistani nation that suffered hugely. We need to move on, leaving behind the bitterness of the past. I don’t believe in revenge of any kind.”

PMLN was criticised for starting the election campaign late due to lengthy sessions of interviews held at PMLN’s Model Town, presided over by Nawaz Sharif himself. Since then, Sharif, his younger brother Shehbaz Sharif and Maryam Nawaz have addressed large rallies in the major rural and urban areas of Punjab.

Nawaz Sharif said: “The way people have responded to us is unprecedented. I have seen a desire for genuine change in their eyes. The masses have connected to me and appreciated when I told them what has brought Pakistan to this stage. They also recognise that we have the plan and the vision to deliver on the promises we have made. We will actually deliver more than what we have promised them.”

Nawaz Sharif rejected the perception touted by some in the media industry that most of the youth are with the PTI. As in many other rallies, Sharif also asked the rally participants in Kasur about their age groups and highlighted that the majority of the youth were with the PMLN and agreed with his party’s manifesto of progress.

He said the former prime minister Imran Khan found himself landed in jail and convicted in corruption and cipher cases due to his own mistakes, miscalculations and strategic failures. Shehbaz Sharif has said that Imran Khan was involved in a conspiracy to cause rift within the armed forces of Pakistan by attempting a coup against the current army chief and through attacks on the Pakistan army on 9th May. Nawaz Sharif said that Imran Khan’s decision to launch the 9 May attacks on Pakistan Army was “catastrophic” in nature and showed the selfish nature of the former premier who will go on trial in the same case soon and dozens of former PTI leaders and workers are in jail for the 9th May conspiracy. “What Imran Khan did and what has happened to him is his own making. We made Pakistan atomic power, we didn’t attack our own army on 9th May. We are for peace and progress.” Nawaz Sharif said it was unfortunate that Imran Khan had damaged relations with almost every country in the world at a huge price to Pakistan. He vowed that he will mend relations with the foreign powers if mandated into power and will restore the place of Pakistan in the international community. “We will work with the world for Pakistan’s benefit.”