Matter of disqualification of Nawaz Sharif should be decided on the merit: Ahsan Iqbal

ISLAMABAD, Mar 12 (SABAH): Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal Chaudhry has said that the matter of disqualification of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Quaid and former prime minister Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif should be decided on the merit. He said that whether it is not our right that the injustice done with Nawaz Sharif and PML-N should be addressed prior to the next elections. He said that the elections of national and provincial assemblies should be held in October 2023.

This was stated by Ahsan Iqbal in an interview with a private TV channel. He said that with the pace the cases against Nawaz Sharif were decided, the Supreme Court of Pakistan should also decide the cases pending against Imran Khan with same pace, adding that the foreign funding case pending against Imran Khan from last many years should be taken to the logical conclusion.

Ahsan Iqbal said that the decisions were delivered against us in two days time but the cases are pending against Imran Khan from many days. He said that our leader was convicted prior to the last elections so that he could be proved guilty and PML-N be harmed in the elections. He said that whether it is not our right that if our leader was wrongly awarded punishment, this punishment should be overturned and his and our party’s respect should be restored.

Ahsan Iqbal said that it is the basic condition of the election that all parties are provided with the level playing field, adding that Imran Khan and PTI were standing 5,000 meters in front of the other runners of the race in 2018 election. He said that the last election was uneven election, adding that PML-N emerged as number one party in Punjab but its mandate was snatched as it was the demand of Imran Khan that if Punjab was not delivered to him he could not run the country.