Nawaz to people...:You sent me to Islamabad, they sent me home

JHELUM: Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif on Thursday asked his supporters to ask why he was ousted when he didn’t commit any corruption. He posed the question if it was not the contempt of 200 million people who voted for him to serve them, as judges who absolved him on corruption charges, disqualified him in a minute with one stroke of pen for not receiving salary from his son.

Nawaz Sharif was addressing a mammoth public gathering in the Jhelum city while traveling from Islamabad to his hometown Lahore. The people responded in the affirmative when Nawaz asked them if it was not the people’s verdict’s contempt.

“There is not a single blot of embezzlement, kick-back, siphoning of money from the national exchequer or any other sort of corruption on me. My hands and heart are clean since my heart is drowned in the love for Pakistan and I didn’t commit misappropriation of one single penny,” he said.

Nawaz Sharif, who was flanked by former federal minister Pervez Rashid, Khawaja Saad Rafique, Senator Dr Asif Saeed Kirmani and Amir Muqam, reminded that in 2013 when he assumed the office, the workers were being rendered jobless, there were long queues on gas stations, the country was plunged in darkness due to electricity loudshedding and terrorism was widespread. “People were upset. I assured them that I will take the country on the path of progress by taking every risk and eliminate darkness. Thanks to Allah, the darkness is being vanished and we through tireless efforts set up power plants and resultantly loadshedding is minimal now. We will say farewell permanently to the shortage of electricity next year,” he said amid thunder of applause.

Nawaz Sharif said Pakistan has embraced peace; Balochistan that was being ruined has returned to national mainstream; the lights of Karachi had been returned that were being destroyed and motorways are being constructed throughout the country. He said God knows that he is least pushed about himself but genuinely worried about the youth. “The nation is being exploited for last seventy years. It is regrettable that none of the prime ministers who came at the helm of the government could complete its mandated tenure,” he said, adding, “I wish to comprehend that why I have been fired. My worry is that the future of youth shouldn’t become bleak.”
The ex-premier asked the gathering that they elect prime ministers through their vote and dictators and judges come and tear their vote and will. “I am not pushed about power. You send me to Islamabad and people sitting there have consigned me to home. I haven’t been ousted because of corruption, but my offence is why I did not receive salary from my son. Does anybody get salary from one’s son? It is a disgrace of Pakistan, not of prime minister,” he said.

Without taking the name of Dr Tahirul Qadri, the former premier said that a sit-in was staged soon after the establishment of the government and a Molvi came all the way from Canada who lives lavishly there and comes to Pakistan after every three months under the pretext of pain for Pakistan. He said the Molvi bears the passport of Canada and pledged allegiance with British Queen.

Nawaz said dictators after misruling the country fled under the pretext of backache. He said dictators abrogated the Constitution and there is not a court that could question him. He said that the country swings sometime to right and sometimes to the left. He said the country couldn’t be run like this. He said the country is being listed among the lowest nations. “I am not asking that I should be reinstated but we have to ponder about the future of Pakistan and we cannot tolerate disrespect of crores of people,” he said.

The people of Jhelum assured Nawaz Sharif by raising of the hands that they would stand by him in every thick and thin.

“I served this nation, made Pakistan a nuclear power, constructed motorways and started CPEC but I was sent home though I had no charges of corruption. The nation questions what my crime is?” he said.

Referring to the youth, the former premier said that he could see spark in their eyes and as long as they stand firm, the country’s future would be bright. “We shall have to collectively serve this country. People have been mocking and exploiting this nation for the last 70 years. No prime minister since Pakistan’s inception could complete his tenure and this is an insult to the mandate of the people,” he said.

Earlier, while addressing gatherings in Dina and Sohawa towns, the former prime minister sought certain pledges from the people gathered there. “I have come out with the case of disqualification of the people. The verdict of the court is not disrespect of the prime minister but contempt of two hundred million people of Pakistan. The nation is being disgraced for seventy years. This game must come to an end forever now,” he said. He told the people in Sohawa that today the country is better off than what it was in 2013. He said the flow of gas supply and power is intact today, motorways are being built, youth is getting employment and poverty and illiteracy are being consigned to the dustbin of history.

“Am I rewarded or punished for the service of the motherland? We shall Inshallah change the fate of the country,” Nawaz said. He asked the people in Dina that they would cooperate with him and he will never forget them for the sake of service to the country.

The caravan of Nawaz Sharif received an unprecedented welcome from supporters and party workers when he crossed famous Kutchery Chowk (Rawalpindi), Gujjar Khan, Sohawa, Dina and Jhelum. The supporters were raising slogans ‘Love your Nawaz Sharif’. The schedule of the journey was changed as the caravan reached Jhelum at very quick speed. Upon reaching Jhelum it was revealed by senior members of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League (PLM-N) that he would have night stay in this city after which he would move ahead with the caravan today (Friday).

Nawaz Sharif resumed his rally at around 12:00 noon from the Punjab House (Rawalpindi) along with senior members of the PML-N. A reception camp was set up at the Kutcheri Chowk where the PML-N woman leader Tahira Aurangzeb, with dozens of other female workers, was raising slogans for his leader who was also warmly welcomed by a large number of lawyers. The lawyers set up a separate reception camp right in front of the Kutcheri displaying banners and posters to highlight the struggle of the lawyers’ community to protect democracy in the country.

Security was on high alert and workers and supporters trying to get to car of Nawaz Sharif were constantly pushed back by the security staff. When the caravan reached near Ayub Park, it at once started moving at a much faster pace and it only stopped at Sohawa where a large number of people were present on both sides of the GT Road and at the reception camp. The workers of the PML-N rushed towards the caravan and many of them gathered around the car of Nawaz Sharif and started raising slogans. The PML-N senior members were also not well aware about the fast movement of the caravan because it took it almost a day to move from Punjab House Islamabad to Punjab House Rawalpindi. But they reached Sohawa from Rawalpindi in a very short time. At one time the car of Nawaz Sharif was moving at some 140km per hour. The security staff tried their best to clear the way for the caravan of Nawaz Sharif but thousands of workers remained present on the road. They were so excited and charged and constantly trying to reach near the car of their leader. When the caravan managed to start moving ahead, then surprisingly some police vans changed the lane and they reached Dina along with the caravan using the wrong lane on the GT Road.

There was a huge mass gathering when the caravan reached the Dina area. The party workers were present on both sides of the GT Road. A large number of women were also witnessing the caravan from rooftops and windows of their homes. The slogan that was more often raised by the party workers was “Quaid tera aik ishara hazir hazir lahoo hamara (Leader just give a signal, We will sacrifice our lives)”. The excitement of workers at Jhelum knew no bounds as almost one-and-half kilometre of both sides of the GT Road was jam-packed and there was no chance for the caravan to move ahead. Huge number of female supporters gathered around the car of Nawaz Sharif and chanted slogans. Despite all out efforts of the security staff, they appeared helpless and their repeated announcements to vacate the road failed to get attention of the emotional crowd. Nawaz Sharif also stayed at a local restaurant in Jhelum which was at once surrounded by the party workers. The policemen never allowed entry to them into the restaurant after which they used loudspeakers to show their love for Nawaz Sharif.