2018 to judge the judgement: Nawaz

HARIPUR: Vowing to sweep the next general elections, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) head Nawaz Sharif on Friday said that 2018 would be a referendum on SC verdict.

He said that his opponents had gathered in Lahore with a motive to target him but their show was a flop.

Addressing a huge public gathering at the Curtis Ground in Haripur, the deposed prime minister said that three days ago, his political opponents gathered on a single platform to hurl allegations at him but the people of Lahore showed them their real worth.

His daughter Mariyam Nawaz and other party leaders were also present on the occasion.

Haripur and rest of Hazara Division has been a stronghold of the Nawaz Sharif-led PML-N and he contested election from Abbottabad.

Nawaz Sharif said that the man who targeted everyone with abuses and allegations would one day go to jail.

He lamented that the PTI chief Imran Khan was not punished by the courts although he admitted to be the owner of an offshore company.

Criticising Imran Khan’s diatribe against Parliament, Nawaz Sharif said that he was cursing the assemblies for which he was contesting elections and wherefrom he got his salary.

Lashing out at the “Billion Tree Tsunami” project of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government, he said they should have set up schools, hospitals and medical colleges in the province.

Nawaz Sharif thanked the people of Haripur for gathering in a large number to listen to him. He said that the public meeting in Haripur was bigger than the previous one that he addressed in Kot Momin.

“I would like to thank you for giving me honour,” he said, adding that he would serve the public throughout his life.

Narrating the details of the Panama Papers case, he said that he was disheartened as an “Iqama” was made an excuse to disqualify him. “Not a single penny of corruption and embezzlement was proved against me in the case,” he insisted.

Asking the participants whether they accepted the court’s disqualification orders against him, Nawaz Sharif said that the apex court’s judgment was an insult to millions of voters.

The former premier said that the people elected him with the power of their vote but a five-member bench disqualified him. He termed the public rally at Haripur as a referendum.

Maryam Nawaz, speaking on the occasion, also criticised PTI chief Imran Khan over his anti-Parliament remarks in Lahore. She said that cursing the Parliament was equal to cursing the nation, adding that Imran’s remarks showed his frustration. She claimed that PML-N would return successful in the 2018 general election.

She said that the battalion of conspirators had faced defeat in Lahore.

In his address, Nawaz Sharif vowed that the opponents of the development of the country would be defeated by the people in upcoming polls.

The PML-N opted not to hold its public meeting at traditional grounds with limited space inside the town of the KP province but in huge ground with a capacity of accommodating hundreds of thousands people. It was jam packed with charged crowd that chanted slogans in favour of Nawaz Sharif and against the judicial verdict. Rose petals were showered over the gathering by a helicopter when Nawaz Sharif reached the rendezvous of the gathering.

Former prime minister turned emotional as he saw the gargantuan crowd that was chanting a slogan “We love you, Nawaz Sharif.” Nawaz Sharif was upbeat and took on his opponents with harsh remarks but he didn’t take name of his arch rival Imran Khan of PTI even for once but called him ‘Adalti Ladla’ (dear of judiciary). He ridiculed the opposition and firing broadside at them by saying that all those people who abused one another and did not want to see one another’s face gathered on one platform only to conspire against him and ward of their imminent defeat in general elections. “Where was the politics, diplomacy then,” Nawaz questioned the opposition parties.

Nawaz Sharif reminded the people that he committed with them in last election campaign that he would build Hazara Motorway that he had constructed. “I visited the Motorway during the days of its construction several times and thanked Allah when it was completed.” Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi invited him to inaugurate it on completion but he stayed back despite his desire since he was satisfied that yet another promise he made with the people of Hazara had been accomplished. At this, gathering started raising slogan “Faisla Namanzoor- Faisla Namanzoor” (judgment is unacceptable).

Nawaz Sharif said it was the referendum about the verdict and his being qualified. “Come and see what the masses say regarding your verdict,” he added.

In a sarcastic tone, the former premier said that he saluted the judges who declared Imran Khan as Sadiq (truthful) and Ameen (trustworthy). The fellow had lied in the court on a number of occasions and on various counts. The people had discarded him.

He recalled that Ladla had vowed to bring a number of changes to KP but had failed to fulfill any of his promises. Nawaz Sharif while referring to Hazara Motorway said that he was busy in serving the people but he was impeded. He said that he would foil all such moves.

Nawaz Sharif said that he had consigned the loadshedding of power of twenty to twenty two hours to the dustbin of history. He brought peace and harmony in Karachi. He overcame terrorism and above all the CPEC became reality by him. “We served the people and we have been doing politics of welfare of the people but unfortunately the adversaries are engaged in abusing and foul-mouthing about me and hurling baseless allegations.”

The man who had been making tall claims of bringing change should be asked as how much electricity he had generated in his command’s province. The fellow put holes in the plate in which he eats.

Nawaz Sharif said that the people would upturn the judgment of ‘disqualification’ in next polls and he would ensure the sanctity of vote. Nawaz Sharif also announced first part of his election manifesto informally by assuring the people that he would provide shelter to everyone in the country who did not own a house. “The amount that the people pay as rent now would become installment of the price of the house and this way they would become the owner of their respective houses in five to ten years’ time,” he said.

Nawaz Sharif recalled that in most of the cases the salaried people pay half of their salary as rent of their houses. He castigated the claim of the PTI chief of implanting two billion tree saplings in the province and asked the gathering about it. The people replied that they had not seen even one single sapling being implanted. He impressed upon the people to ask the Ladla how many hospitals, universities and other facilities he had set up in his province. Instead he had closed down a number of facilities in the province of KP, Nawaz Sharif added.

Capt (R) Muhammad Safdar, Senator Abbas Khan Afridi, Pir Sabir Shah and Dr Syed Asif Saeed Kirmani also addressed the public gathering.