Trains guns on his jailed political archenemy; Describes electoral victory as validation of governance
Chairing an important meeting of PML-N senators in Murree, Nawaz Sharif directed the senators to actively highlight public issues in the Senate. SCREEN GRAB
LAHORE:
PML-N President Nawaz Sharif, stepping out of the shadows to celebrate his party’s commanding victory in the latest by-elections, claimed on Wednesday that those who propelled now jailed ex-prime minister Imran Khan to power were even bigger culprits than the jailed leader himself.
He called for their accountability, all the while deftly avoiding any direct mention of the establishment.
Addressing newly elected parliamentarians from both Punjab and the National Assembly, Nawaz marked the PML-N’s victory in 12 out of 13 contested seats.
Chief Minister Punjab Maryam Nawaz, along with senior party leaders Rana Sanaullah, Khawaja Saad Rafique and Pervez Rashid, were also present.
Both Nawaz Sharif and Maryam berated the embattled Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) for secretly contesting the election despite publicly announcing a boycott.
They framed the wins as a testament to party performance and service, a narrative that independent analysts may question.
Addressing the gathering for the first time since his surgery, Nawaz said, according to Maryam, that the narrative surrounding Imran Khan and those who installed him, characterized by hooliganism, thuggery, robbery and foul language, had collapsed.
“They have been exposed on all these counts,” he said, claiming that during Khan’s tenure, the country suffered not only economic bankruptcy but also social, moral and diplomatic decline.
“Khan transgressed disrespect for the elderly, youth and women. He came here to play cricket and that’s exactly what he also did in power.”
He also pointed to the return of the IMF under Khan’s government and contrasted it with his own tenure, when he had said goodbye to the fund.
Nawaz attributed the people’s votes to PML-N’s achievements and service delivery and credited his daughter Maryam Nawaz, Chief Minister of Punjab, and his brother Shehbaz Sharif, the country’s premier. “Both have surpassed me in every way and I’m happy to acknowledge that,” he said.
The PML-N president further accused the PTI of hypocrisy in their election boycott.
“PTI said they will boycott the election, but what kind of boycott is it when Omer Ayub’s wife herself is contesting the election?” he asked, adding that PTI leaders showed pictures of their leaders.
He cited Haripur as an example where the PML-N defeated the PTI by a margin of 44,000 votes in the PTI stronghold.
He added that he slammed mismanagement during PTI’s tenure, “be it Punjab or Centre, with frequent changes in chief secretaries and inspector generals. Under Maryam Nawaz, there is order in Punjab and everything is done on merit”.
There is a feel-good factor in Punjab which has returned after a long time, he added.
Addressing the newly elected lawmakers, Maryam Nawaz said that those who tried to erase Nawaz Sharif from history, whether Pervez Musharraf or [Lt] General Faiz Hameed is now in the dustbin of history.
She said the by-elections had buried Imran’s politics of hatred and division and restored the politics of service delivery.
Reacting to the criticism of being the heir to the Sharif family, she said that they may be a by-product of dynasty politics, but apart from politics, they have also inherited ethics, discipline and selflessness. “We learned not to be the victim and spew abuse or incompetence.”
She questioned PTI’s two-pronged boycott strategy and pointed out that they were fielding candidates as independents.
“If they had won, PTI would have used them to run down PML-N. Not only we beat them in Punjab but we also beat them in their own province. We have also won all by-elections under PTI,” she added.
It is pertinent to mention here that under this regime, caustic measures have remained the hallmark of governance, including running vile campaigns on social media, spearheaded by social media accounts followed by the minister himself.
