LAHORE: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif said on Friday that they only wanted to resolve the issues facing the countrymen and steer the country out of prevailing crises.

“Pakistan is going through a tough time, and we have created these difficulties ourselves. We punished the people who wanted to serve the country and brought forth those playing an evil game,” Nawaz said while addressing the party’s parliamentary board meeting at Model Town on Friday.

The PML-N does not desire to win the elections and form a government but demands accountability of those responsible for creating difficulties for the country and the countrymen, he said.

Without naming anyone, Nawaz said, “The nation should know that those who used to cry ‘thief’ are thieves themselves, the biggest thieves. Our desire is not to form the government after winning elections and roam about in big cars, he said. “The PML-N was determined to serve the country; it also wanted the truth to be brought in front of the public.”

“Who ruined the country? Who brought the country to this point? Why are the poor starving today? There should be accountability,” he demanded. “A person who knew nothing about politics, economy or foreign policy was brought to power. He only talked about ‘Riyasat-i-Madina’ but knew nothing about ‘Riyasat-i-Madina’ in the true sense.”

Nawaz also said: “The biggest corruption scandal in the history of Pakistan was the £190m case. They waved a sealed envelope [in a cabinet meeting] and asked for signatures. At least show us what is inside the envelope. They took approval by putting on blindfolds,” Nawaz claimed.

Nawaz mentioned that the Supreme Court had recently ordered that an amount of Rs35 billion, which was remitted to the apex court’s bank accounts maintained in the name of the SC registrar in the Bahria Town settlement, be transferred to the federal government. Talking about the cases against him, he said he got justice after seven years, and even today, he is visiting courts.

PML-N leader Marriyum Aurangzeb said that the party candidates for general elections are yet to be finalized. “The parliamentary board meeting is underway, and the candidates will be awarded party tickets following the approval of PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif and PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif,” she said.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023