Diplomats persuade Nawaz not to boycott polls

Diplomats of Islamic countries on Thursday urged the former prime minister and PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif not to boycott the general elections scheduled for January 8.
In a meeting of PML-N leader led by Nawaz Sharif with diplomats of over a dozen Islamic countries, the envoys reportedly urged the PML leadership to play his positive role in the upcoming general elections and for development of the country instead of boycotting them.
Nawaz Sharif, who returned home last month after ending seven years exile with the hectic efforts of Saudi government. The government claims that Nawaz Sharif was allowed to return to the country on the condition that he would contest the elections, it added.
At the meeting, the diplomats urged Nawaz Sharif to play his positive role along with other political parties in the upcoming elections and development of the country.
They highlighted the issues faced by the Islamic countries and reiterated that Pakistan being a nuclear power should not indulge in any crisis rather play their due role in strengthening the country.
On the occasion, the ambassador of Saudi Arabia opined that Islamic world is proud of Pakistan being the single nuclear power among the Muslim countries.
At the meeting, the PML-N chief accused the government of rejecting his nomination papers. He informed that his nomination papers along with the papers of his brother, Shahbaz Sharif, were rejected on false grounds.
The former premier also expressed his reservations over the caretaker setup, fearing that under such a partial caretaker government, holding of free, fair and transparent elections seems to be impossible. The former prime minister also complained about the incumbent judiciary and the Election Commission, saying that it could not provide a level playing field to all the political parties as the regime would widely manipulate the polls under these controlled institutions.
The diplomats who attended the meeting were of Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Lebanon, Egypt, Syria, Somalia and some other Muslim countries. Nawaz Sharif was accompanied by Javed Hashmi, Raja Zafarul Haq, Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, Iqbal Zafar Jhagra, Ishaq Dar, and Ahsan Iqbal.