LAHORE: Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) in a meeting has unanimously decided that the party’s supremo Mian Nawaz Sharif will be a candidate for the premiership.

The meeting was held with Nawaz Sharif in the chair at his residence Jati Umra on Tuesday. Among others, PML-N President Mian Shehbaz Sharif, Hamza Shehbaz, Salman Shehbaz, Ahsan Iqbal, Irfan Siddiqui, Mariyum Aurangzeb, Saud Majeed, Rana Sanaullah Khan, Rana Tanveer Hussain, Khawaja Asif, Khawaja Saad Rafiq and Mian Javed Latif attended the meeting.

The meeting which lasted for four and a half hours discussed the country’s political and economic situation, party affairs and other important issues concerning the future political setup.

In the meeting, the PML-N decided to seek applications from the candidates for national and provincial assembly seats till November 10. A manifesto committee led by Irfan Siddiqui was also constituted while there is also a plan for Nawaz Sharif’s visits to all four provinces and meetings with various political parties and schools of thought, said sources.

Ahsan said this consultation marked the first formal meeting following Nawaz Sharif’s return home, during which he expressed gratitude for the successful rally at Minar-e-Pakistan which witnessed an unprecedented turnout.

After the meeting, PML-N General Secretary Ahsan Iqbal told media that Mian Nawaz Sharif was the prime ministerial candidate of the party. He said the meeting criticized a political party’s treatment of the Pakistan Army, expressing that it surpassed the actions of any enemy.

Giving reference of the events of 2017, he claimed there was no level playing field for the Nawaz League. He voiced concern about Nawaz Sharif losing this level playing field, expressing a hope that Nawaz Sharif would become the prime minister of Pakistan and that justice would prevail.

He said the PML-N leaders condemned Israeli brutality in Palestine and announced a general house meeting on November 4, at Sharif Medical City to discuss the situation in Palestine.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023