Nawaz Sharif has urged all the political parties, including Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), to sit together in the larger national interest to rebuild and strengthen the country on both internal and external fronts.
He was addressing the General Council meeting of the PML-N at Raiwind on Monday. The PML-N provincial presidents, legislators, office bearers from all over the country attended the meeting. The PML-N top leadership including Mian Shahbaz Sharif, Raja Zafar ul Haq, Makhdoom Javed Hashmi, Syed Ghous Ali Shah, Pir Sabir Shah, Iqbal Zafar Jhaggra, Siranjam Khan, Hamza Shahbaz, Rana Sanaullah and Sardar Yaqoob Khan Nasir spoke on the occasion.
The participants raised slogans in favour of the party leadership throughout the proceedings of general council meeting. Nawaz categorically stated that he had no differences with President Asif Ali Zardari and urged the Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani to act upon the Charter of Democracy (CoD) during his Sundays meeting with the later one.
"I am not doing this for personal gains," he said, adding, "The nation should march for the betterment of the country to turn Pakistan into a civilised country among the comity of nations." However, he added in the same breath that the national decisions should be taken in the parliament.
The PML-N chief said his party would change the destiny of the nation in collaboration with the PPP and was ready to cooperate with the PPP in this respect.
On internal front, Nawaz said he wanted to sit together with the PPP government to ensure justice at the doorstep of every citizen, end of lawlessness, poverty and unemployment, uninterrupted power supply, supremacy of constitution and law and facilities of education and health for all.
On external front, he offered his support to the government for putting the Fata and Swat situation on right track through dialogues and peace talks with India to resolve Kashmir dispute. He stressed that the time has for all to come forward to playing a decisive role for the resolution of manifold problems confronting to the country as well as the nation.
According to him, the Quaid-e-Azam had dreamt of this revolution in Pakistan on 23rd March 1940 and his agenda can only be met with by sacrificing personal interests and joining hands with each other to start a march towards a stronger and prosperous Pakistan.
"I have neither differences nor revenge with anyone and I am pursuing a national agenda," he said and added that this is the revolution he used to talk about. "The street power led decision on March 16 should open the eyes of everyone," he asserted, adding, "The nation has also realised its role in building up the country and I would urge the people to keep this spirit up in order to strengthen it further."
Earlier, Nawaz recalled the historic moments leading to the restoration of deposed Judges on March 16, he added it should not be considered less than a revolution, he added. "I was amazed to witness the people pouring out of streets adjacent to his route to the Ravi bridge," he said, adding, "A large of young and elder citizens including women with their children were standing at the roadsides to show their support to him."
He further said that the peoples demand was fulfilled when his convoy reached to Gujranwala on March 16. He said the announcement of relinquishing the long march was taken after consultation with lawyers and political leadership, including Aitzaz Ahsan, Qazi Hussain Ahmed and Imran Khan. He felicitated the people of Punjab, Sindh, Balochistan, NWFP, Azad Kashmir, Northern Areas and Fata over the restoration of deposed Judiciary.
President PML-N, Mian Shahbaz Sharif, in his speech congratulated the general council on successful long march under the leadership of Nawaz Sharif. He urged Nawaz Sharif to lead the party and the nation to achieve the goal of a just society.
Shahbaz Sharif praised Justice Shahid Siddiqui (Retd) for refusing to take oath as PCO judge. He condemned the murder of a reporter of TV channel and asked those who set up a market for purchasing loyalties of MPAs to arrest the culprits.
He paid tributes to the legislators of Punjab who rejected horse trading once for all. He vowed to continue struggle under the leadership of Nawaz Sharif till creation of a just society in accordance with vision of Quaid-e-Azam and Allama Iqbal.
He also recounted services rendered by the PML-N government during 8 months. Raja Zafar ul Haq in his speech said that people from all the four provinces participated in the long march which for the first time in the countrys history, which produced results.
Speaking on the occasion Syed Ghous Ali Shah said that people of Sindh have great affection for Nawaz Sharif because it was the PML-N leader who put an end to dacoits rule in Sindh and also provided land to Haris.
Makhdoom Javed Hashmi in his speech said that the country needs a responsible leadership because anti-Pakistan forces are using evil tactics to damage the image of the country. He said Nawaz Sharif made the country as an atomic power and he would only provide responsible leadership to the country.
He said having political differences is part of democratic process. "We have political differences with Asif Ali Zardari but Nawaz Sharif had already declared that he (Zardari) is our President," he said.
Furthermore, Khawaja Saad Rafique read out 14-point Raiwind Declaration urging rule of law, supremacy of parliament, transparent governance, independent judiciary and media, independent election commission, holding of party-based local bodies elections, implementation of Charter of Democracy (CoD) through constitutional amendments, independent accountability commission, resolution of Kashmir issue, end of load shedding, unemployment and peace in NWFP, Fata and Balochistan through talks. On the occasion, a group of people from Balochistan also announced to join the PML-N.