LAHORE: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Quaid and former prime minister Nawaz Sharif has directed the party leaders to prepare the party for general elections scheduled to be held on February 8, 2024.

He expressed these views while chairing a party meeting on Monday, disclosed sources. This was his first meeting at the central secretariat after his return to Pakistan. He arrived in the country on October 21 after four years of self-exile in London. The former premier reached the PML-N secretariat with his daughter and PML-N Senior Vice President Maryam Nawaz.

On this occasion, PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif and senior party leaders Khawaja Asif, Ahsan Iqbal, Ishaq Dar, Khwaja Saad Rafique and Marriyum Aurangzeb were present in the meeting. The members discussed the future political activities of the party and the current political situation in the country.

During the meeting, he showed determination to make Pakistan the ‘Asian Tiger’. He said they will start the journey to development from where it was left off. Later, Sharif also chaired a meeting regarding the issuance of party tickets for the general elections.

After the conclusion of the meeting, former federal minister Khawaja Asif told journalists that Nawaz Sharif would contest the upcoming elections. He also addressed the concerns raised by the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) about the level-playing field, saying everyone has a level-playing field; there is no unfairness.

PML-N spokesperson, Marriyum Aurangzeb, told media that Sharif will contest in the February 8 elections and become the prime minister for the fourth time. “He has started conducting meetings from today and met the senior leadership of the party,” she said. The party is ready for the elections under his leadership.

On this occasion, she disclosed that the party has constituted a committee to work on the party’s manifesto. She was confident that only Nawaz Sharif could steer the country out of the current crisis, adding that their party was ready to bring peace and unity to the country.

Speaking about the rising rifts between the PPP and PML-N, she said “Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) alliance is intact today; Asif Ali Zardari, Nawaz Sharif, Fazlur Rehman and others have played their role in the service of the people.”

Referring to the PPP’s demand for a level-playing field, she told the PPP to stop whining about it and come to the election field. She said PPP’s demand signified their defeat in the polls. “On one hand, they say there is no level-playing field while, on the other hand, it says it will clean sweep the elections,” she added.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023