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Thursday March 28, 2024

Schemes being spun to deny me elections: Nawaz

By Zubair Ashraf
February 02, 2018

KARACHI: Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif has said efforts are being made to keep him away from the 2018 elections.

He said moves to topple elected governments through martial laws and courts have hindered the country’s progress and no premier had been able to complete his or her term since 1947.

“These kinds of decisions spread disruption,” Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz chief commented while addressing a gathering of the business community as he arrived in Karachi on Thursday on a two-day visit. “[We] should ponder on why do we deviate off the track, again and again.”

Commenting on his disqualification to hold a public office, he said that he didn’t know why he was ousted. “I couldn’t complete my tenure because of a court order that was based on an Iqama. They cited my so-called salary in the case, reading it through a Black Dictionary. People reject this decision.” He maintained that some forces wanted to keep him away from the 2018 and 2023 elections.

He asked in how many countries of South Asia, martial laws were imposed. None, he said, adding that in the past seven decades, elected representatives in the country were either hanged or humiliated through different means.

“We had intended to raise the GDP growth rate by 7 percent,” he told the buisnesspersons, adding that the target could not be achieved because of his ouster on the basis of reciveing a modest salary from his son. “Ultimately, Fitch reduced Pakistan’s ranking.”

He said that it was the responsibility of educated persons to bring the country back on the track and the business community should think about the rule of law. “The development has been spoiled.”

While praising PM Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, he said that the game, which is currently being played in the country, was incomprehensible and the switch of loyalities in the Balochistan Assembly was detestable.

He said that he gave respect to the Pakistan People's Party Co-chairperson Asif Ali Zardari after assuming the PM's office but he, in return, was dining with the same people from Balochistan. It was Sharif’s first visit to the city since his removal from the PM's office.

Speaking to a party gathering at the Pearl Continental Hotel earlier in the day, he vowed that the PML-N would revamp Karachi and other parts of Sindh if given a chance by the people in the upcoming election.

He asked the people to look at nook and corner of the financial hub of the country and other districts in the province and then decide about their future. “We will make Karachi a city that the world will admire,” he said, adding that the city should have been far more developed in 2018.

Lahore is far ahead of it, he commented, while pointing out the problems of deteriorating roads, overflowing gutters, heaps of trash, unhygienic and inadequate water in Karachi.

The PML-N chief pledged that if they came into power again, they will change the destiny of the country, let alone Sindh where, according to him, unemployment was rising, education system had deteriorated and public problems were not being solved.

He claimed that when the PML-N assumed the charge at the Centre in 2013, terrorism was rife, economy was nearly bankrupt and there was 22-hour-long loadshedding in most parts of the country. The federal government put it on the track of progress, thus, today there is prosperity, power issue has almost been resolved, industries are strengthening and the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor project was underway.

“CPEC is a game changer,” he asserted, adding that it will create more job opporuntities. “If you look closely at the state of the country in 2013 and 2018, you will find a wide difference. We don’t only claim to serve, we do it in letter and spirit.”

Taking a jibe at his rival Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chief Imran Khan, Nawaz said that so-called builders of the ‘New Pakistan’ must tell what development they carried out in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa where they are in power. He said the champions of change didn’t bring any change and resorted to fault-finding, yet in vain.

Prior to this speech, Nawaz presided over the party meeting attended by federal ministers, Saad Rafique, Mushahidullah Khan, Ahsan Iqbal, Senator Pervez Rashid and others. They discussed the organisational matters as well as the Senate election scheduled on March 3.

Afterwards, the fromer PM visited the federal government-funded Green Line bus project site in District Central. He said that the project was a gift to Karachi from the PML-N government and will help resolve the transport issue in the city to a large extent. He reiterrated that if they came to power, again, then they will launch more such mega projects in the city.

News Desk adds: Mian Nawaz Sharif on Thursday said the present government is working to achieve the GDP growth above 7 percent but this can only be achieved through stable political and economic environment.

Addressing the business community, he said that the decisions taken by his government resulted in massive economic activities in the country. “The GDP growth was 5.3 percent and it will be 6 percent during the current fiscal year,” he added.

He said that the tradition of toppling governments and removing them should now be changed. He said through such activities economic growth cannot be achieved. He questioned how many countries are there where prime ministers are removed. “I am not the one who was removed as PM. Yosuf Raza Gilani was also in the queue,” he added. He said it was unfortunate that no prime minister was able to complete his term in the office since 1947. “We should rethink and change the history of the past 70 years,” he added.

He said he was removed on the charges of taking salary from son, which was never received. “Such decisions cannot help the economy to grow,” he added. The former prime minister said that during the past four years, the economy was buoyant but there are financial hurdles and international rating agencies were bringing Pakistan from positive to negative ratings.

He said when he visited Karachi soon after assuming the charge of PM, some businessmen and other people suggested to start an operation for bringing peace in the city. “This city is now free of violence, strike, protests and sit-ins,” he added.

Terrorism was not only eliminated from Karachi but also eliminated from the entire country, he said and questioned why this was not done prior to the PML-N government. He lamented the cleanliness situation in Karachi and said the city had been turned into a junkyard. Nawaz Sharif said that there was no comparison between Lahore and Karachi in terms of clean city. He said the provincial government had failed to make Karachi a prominent city in the world.

Talking about the energy situation, he said the country has sufficient energy due to the efforts of the present government. He said that the dream of coal-based power generation from Thar was going to be realised. The coal-based electricity will be cheaper and make the Pakistani products competitive in the international market.

He said some time back, political opponents criticised the green bus service and motorways. “They have the government in KP and promised of a new Pakistan. But their new Pakistan became even worse in the province,” he said and added that now they were planning to launch a bus service just ahead of the general election. Nawaz Sharif said they have a government in KP but motorways were constructed by the PML-N government. “The entire Pakistan is connected through a motorway built by the PML-N government,” he said.

He said the business community should think about the future as they were also responsible for stability in the country. “They (business community) should ensure Pakistan remains on the constitutional track,” he added.