LAHORE: Announcing that the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) would try to improve relations with all the neighbours including India, if voted to power, the PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif said on Saturday that the country cannot make progress when its relations with neighbours are not normal.

“How could it be possible that your neighbours are unhappy with you and you rise on the world stage,” he asked.

While addressing the PML-N leaders and workers during the sixth meeting of the parliamentary board, here Saturday, Nawaz said Pakistan needs to mend its relations with India, Afghanistan and Iran. “We also need to strengthen our affairs with China,” he added.

According to him, Pakistan would have defaulted, had the PDM government not decided to intervene as everything had paralysed by 2022. Electricity rate had skyrocketed only because of the PTI government’s inaptness and devaluation of rupee was the reason behind the unprecedented inflation across the country.

He told the party candidates applying for party tickets that they would be victorious in the upcoming general elections scheduled for February 8. In 2018 also, the PML-N was set to win the elections on the basis of its performance, but everything was managed and fabricated to get the desired results. He added the 2017 crisis was engineered to sabotage the launch of the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), recalling that Chinese President Xi Jinping had told him personally that the CPEC is a gift for you.

Nawaz also recalled how country’s economy prosperous during his government until 2017 but then he was replaced with an ‘anaari’ person, who mismanaged the economy and ruined it. He said every time he became prime minister he dug deep and tried to properly handle the issues, but he still did not know why his government was thrown out time and again.

He further said the time has proved beyond any doubt that he was absolutely right to oppose the war in Kargil. “Why I was removed in 1999? Was it because of Kargil? Was it for this that I was removed from power? Today time has proved that we were right. We did the right thing. Our decision taken at that time was correct,” he said.

The PML-N leader said he had never hesitated while taking bold decisions, whenever it involved the question of the country’s respect and dignity. He cited his decision to test nuclear bombs in May 1998. He also added that due to policies of his previous governments two Indian Prime Ministers – Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Narendra Modi – visited Pakistan.

Nawaz reiterated their political mission to advance the country, emphasising that dedicated service to the people could profoundly influence the state’s destiny.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023