Never thought of taking revenge from Imran: Nawaz

MURREE: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) President Muhammad Nawaz Sharif on Saturday said he was the kind of person who did not harbour malice, enmity or take revenge from others.

Without taking Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan’s name, Nawaz said he always behaved like an angry man. “He once said in a public rally ‘Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif I will drag you here’,” he said lambasting the PTI founder over his disrespectful remarks against then serving PM.

The former prime minister said this while addressing a meeting of the PMLN parliamentary members of the Senate in Murree.

On the contrary, he said he had a working relationship with the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and his party signed the Charter of Democracy with former prime minister Benazir Bhutto.

The PMLN president said that during Khan’s tenure, he was threatened to get his prison cell’s AC removed. However, he said he did not believe in political vengeance.

In fact, the three-time prime minister said that he did not even think about it as Khan was serving his jail sentence now.

Nawaz Sharif once again raised questions about the removal of his governments which he pointed out were democratically elected, emphasizing the adverse effects of the PTI government’s policies which, he claimed, have significantly worsened the plight of Pakistan’s poor by driving inflation to record highs.

He added, “If I hadn’t been removed from power, the country would have been progressing. Shehbaz Sharif is working diligently, and I commend him for it. You blame us, but it is you who have damaged democracy. I am not someone who holds grudges or seeks revenge.”

Nawaz Sharif criticised the IMF conditions, saying, “If IMF conditions are accepted, how these will not be difficult for the poor? I am not someone who relies on the IMF. Maryam Nawaz is reaching everywhere and has reduced the price of bread which is commendable.”

Nawaz expressed satisfaction over the role of the federal and Punjab governments in reducing prices of essential commodities. He particularly appreciated the efforts of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif in this regard. He was confident that Pakistan would soon come out of crises.

The PMLN president said such policies that bring down the prices of electricity and gas should be framed. “Maryam Nawaz played a key role in bringing down inflation by not letting wheat price increase,” he said. He said overall inflation was dipping and the stock market was “unprecedentedly” skyrocketing.