People gave real verdict: Nawaz

LAHORE: PML-N President Nawaz Sharif on Wednesday said the real verdict whether he was qualified or disqualified came from the voters of NA-120, adding that the next PML-N government would be undefeatable.

“You’ve not just won a by-election in NA-120, but have also stamped on the real decision of truth and justice in the court of history,” said the former prime minister while addressing a workers convention at the Alhamra Hall in connection with victory in the NA-120 by-election.

Nawaz was overwhelmed by the unbelievable enthusiasm of the PML-N supporters and said “if this level of enthusiasm prevails among the polity, no conspiracy can ever be successful,” and Pakistan would be on the highway to progress and development.

The former prime minister criticised the Supreme Court verdict, saying it was beyond the comprehension of the legal fraternity as well. “Does the decision make sense to you?” he asked the crowd and added that nobody could make sense of it. He also recited a verse, which meant that it was a trial with no precedence, not plausible argument, no legal premise and no right to appeal.

Addressing the criticism that his party won the by-election with a margin of 15,000 votes only, he said, “Considering the way the odds were stacked up against us and the circumstances under which the PML-N contested the NA-120 election, one needs to multiply this 15,000 by 10 to know the real margin of victory.”

Nawaz extended gratitude on behalf of Begum Kulsoom Nawaz to the PML-N leaders, who worked with Maryam Nawaz and the people of NA-120. “The way you received Maryam during her campaign, I feel like showering every one of you with flower petals,” said Nawaz as the PML-N workers gave a deafening response of acknowledgement.

Restating his post-disqualification slogan, Nawaz said: “We will protect the sanctity of your vote, we are fighting a battle for the people of Pakistan and we will be victorious.”While enumerating the PML-N government’s achievements regarding the energy crisis, Nawaz reminded the audience of the time when there were 18-hour-long power outages in a day. He said the PML-N had fulfilled the promise, saying “loadshedding was on its last leg”. Has anyone ever in the country’s history fulfilled a campaign promise like the PML-N, in case of its promise to end loadshedding, he asked the audience.

Nawaz said the PML-N also had the honour of eliminating terrorism from the country, re-establishing order in Karachi and successfully bringing massive FDI in the form of CPEC. He, however, stated that his disqualification dealt a blow to the smooth progress on CPEC.

Nawaz was flanked by senior party leaders, including Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, Senator Pervaiz Rashid, Railways Minister Saad Rafique and Senator Asif Kirmani. MPAs Bilal Yasin and Majid Zahoor were also present on the stage and addressed the convention.