Nawaz Sharif renews the call for holding those accountable who ousted him when he was the PM

Says during our time, the economy was better & development was at its peak

LAHORE, Dec 09 (SABAH): Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Quaid and former prime minister Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif on Saturday renewed the call for holding those accountable who ousted him when he was the prime minister.

“The country was thriving from 2013 to 2017 and the economy was better, however, good people were thrown out and Pakistan was handed to clumsy people,” said the PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif while addressing the party’s parliamentary board meeting in Lahore.

Nawaz Sharif started the address on Saturday by saying that even though he was out of sight, but was still very close to the party members by heart, adding that he always remembered his friends and companions.

“During our time, the economy was better and development was at its peak. We still pray that the country is steered out of difficulties,” said the PML-N supremo. He said that the country was progressing in all aspects during his tenure, however, the nation has seen a difficult time in the last four years. “There were some elements who halted the country from thriving,” he added.

The three-time prime minister said that the nation needs to realise that economic destruction started in 2019 and by 2022, everything in the country had collapsed. “If Shehbaz Sharif hadn’t taken over, the country would have defaulted.”

Recalling his 2013 election campaign, he said that he was asked [by the party leaders] to assure the nation that load shedding would end in six months, however, he refused to lie.

“I said I wouldn’t say anything that might damage my reputation. I had said in the election campaign that load shedding will end within five years as I don’t want to cheat the nation,” he said.

Nawaz Sharif said that the PML-N always performed well but was always ousted from power. “I want to know why my governments were overthrown in 1993 and 1999. Was it because we opposed the Kargil War,” he questioned.

“When it comes to our country, we do not back down. And today, no one has the courage to attack Pakistan [because of nuclear arsenal],” said Nawaz Sharif. “We have performed on economic, defence, and foreign fronts.”

The PML-N supremo said that during his time, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee visited Pakistan, stressing the need to fix relations with neighbouring nations including India and Afghanistan. He also said that Pakistan needs to improve its relations with Iran and China.

Nawaz Sharif further said that his party is giving tickets for the upcoming general elections — set to take place on February 8 next year — to work for the development of the country.

Moving forward, Nawaz Sharif said the 2017 episode was designed to sabotage the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), recalling that Chinese President Xi Jinping had told him personally that “the CPEC is a gift to you.”

He said Pakistan would have defaulted if the PDM had not decided to intervene as everything had paralysed by 2022 – last year which saw the removal of PTI government through a no-confidence motion to be replaced by the Shehbaz Sharif-led coalition arrangement.

Nawaz Sharif said electricity tariff had increased only because of the PTI, adding that devaluation of rupee was the reason behind the unprecedented inflation in the country.

Nawaz Sharif, who stands for a strong currency and low interest rates, said electricity tariffs had increased only because of the PTI, adding that devaluation of rupee was the reason behind the unprecedented inflation in the country.

He told the PML-N leaders and the candidates applying for party tickets that they would be victorious in the upcoming general elections scheduled for February 8, as he eyes a fourth term – a feat which was unimaginable for many till a few months back.

In 2018 too, the PML-N was set to win the elections on the basis of its performance, as suggested by the opinion prevailing during that period in 2017, he said. But, he added, everything was managed and fabricated since 2017 to get the desired results in 2018.