Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) has activated all its party workers in NA-120 (Lahore), the constituency, which has been left vacant following Nawaz Sharif's disqualification from public office. Sources in the PML-N said party activists had been asked to take the people on board on the reasons behind successive attempts on the PML-N government. The PML-N workers had also been assigned duties to visit door to door in the constituency, the sources added.
The PML-N leader Majid Zahoor, who is MPA from this constituency, said the party workers were jubilant that the party leader Shahbaz Sharif was contesting the bye-election from the said constituency. "We are loyalists of Nawaz Sharif and would stand with the party leadership whatever the situation exists." He said the party workers were very much happy over the announcement that Shahbaz Sharif was contesting bye-election from NA-120. The success of Shahbaz Sharif from that constituency would prove that Nawaz Sharif lived in the hearts of people and would continue to serve the country, he said.
PML-N leader Khawaja Saad Rafique said Shahbaz Sharif was a role model and he would contest the bye-election from NA-120 to become the next Prime Minister of Pakistan. "Shahbaz Sharif is a man of commitment who only wants to steer the country as a dignified nation among the comity of nations." Saad claimed that Nawaz and PML-N had been punished for bringing China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) to the country in the same way that they were punished for conducting nuclear tests in 1998. Political analysts believe that the PML-N leadership had taken a right decision by nominating Shahbaz Sharif as party leader and next PM after his election from NA-120 as MNA. On the other hand, the Election Commission of Pakistan is expected to announce the schedule for NA-120 (Lahore) next week. According to sources, the by-election on NA-120 is expected to be held in the second week of September.
Under the law, the Election Commission is bound to conduct by-election in the constituency within 60 days. It may be noted that Nawaz Sharif had won from NA-120 in the 2013 general elections securing 91,683 votes against 52,354 votes secured by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf candidate Yasmeen Rashid. It is expected that Yasmeen Rashid would be the PTI candidate in the by-election from NA-120.