LAHORE: Felicitating the Pakistani nation over the extension in GSP+ status, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Shehbaz Sharif on Friday said the journey of prosperity would resume with Nawaz Sharif’s arrival.
“He (Nawaz) will himself unfold his plan to change the country’s future at Minar-e-Pakistan on October 21,” Shehbaz said, adding that “There is a programme that will expedite Pakistan’s growth and change its fate.”
Talking to the media here Friday, Shehbaz said all those who played their role for extension in GSP+ status deserve appreciation and positive things will start pouring in for the benefit of the people.
When asked about Nawaz Sharif’s return, he said: “As it is in your knowledge that he will, God willing, return on October 21; I want to respectfully say that you should not ask if he is coming or not, this is confirmed now.”
Highlighting the 16-month performance of the coalition government led by him, the former PM recalled the challenges faced by the then government, including floods, inflation, protests and a risk of default besides affairs with the IMF.
He posed a question of what would have happened if Pakistan had defaulted, but Almighty Allah helped us avert the default and he is thankful to Nawaz for standing by us. “If our Quaid told us to save our politics, I would have resigned, but he told us to take up the challenge and save the country instead,” the PML-N President said.
He further said that despite manifold challenges, he said, “Our government extended billions of rupees loans to the youth and handled forex issues; despite many difficulties, we were able to overcome burning issues and keep the wheel moving.”
He said, “We used to give Ramzan Packages when Nawaz Sharif was the Prime Minister and the PML-N-led coalition government did the same this year too to help the needy.” He added that they wanted to give relief to power consumers using 300 units but the IMF limited it to 200 units. Likewise, he added that when they desired to extend relief to the masses by taxing the rich on oil, the IMF did not agree.
“On one side there was economic destruction while there was a threat of a sit-in, but we faced the situation with determination and worked day and night for the country and its people. Had we not taken charge of the government, the LCs for oil and other essential items could not have been opened. We saved the country instead of our political interests,” he said.
Shehbaz also highlighted Nawaz Sharif’s contributions to Pakistan, which included the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and making the country an atomic power, but lamented how a series of painful events overturned the Pakistan’s journey of growth. He claimed that Nawaz Sharif shared good relations with several foreign countries, such as Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye, and he would use these ties not to take loans but to get investments.
When asked about remarks regarding being the establishment’s man, the PML-N President said that if that was true, what benefits did I get? He talked about how he and his elder brother spent months in jail. “I want to clarify that in 2017-18 the PML-N won the elections but the results were changed and a pre-prepared model was introduced to ruin the country,” he said, adding that the country and countrymen had to suffer by subjecting Nawaz Sharif to injustice.
To a query regarding journalist Imran Riaz Khan, who returned home last month after being missing for four months, Shehbaz said, “I am not in favour of this. I and Nawaz Sharif were missing for several months and our parents did not know where we were, but we never complained; we did not attack army installations or launch propaganda.”
Referring to mayhem on May 9, he regretted that a dirty game was played for political objectives. He claimed that the PTI had planned to damage this state for personal gains. “There was a mutiny against Pakistan and its armed forces on May 9,” he added.
Responding to a query about accountability of former army generals, he lamented that in the 75-year history of Pakistan accountability was only restricted to politicians and called for answerability across the board.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2023
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