LAHORE, May 28 (NNI): Former three-time prime minister Nawaz Sharif has been re-elected as president of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) unopposed after six years in the intra-party elections on Tuesday.
The PML-N General Council meeting was held in a local hotel. A resolution was passed for presidentship during the meeting.
The PML-N supremo returned to the party’s helm six years after he lost the party president’s office due to a Supreme Court of Pakistan decision in the Panama Papers case.
The five-member election commission of the party headed by Rana Sanaullah. Iqbal Jhagra, Ishrat Ashraf, Jamal Shah Kakar and Khealdas Kohistani supervised the elections.
No candidate submitted nomination papers against Nawaz Sharif.
The PML-N had earlier announced to hold the party’s general council meeting for the president’s election on May 11, but later decided to hold the session on the occasion Youm-e-Takbeer on May 28, the day marking completion of 26 years since Pakistan’s nuclear tests on May 28th, 1998.
PML-N supremo Mian Nawaz Sharif who is also a presidential candidate, Acting Party President Shahbaz Sharif, Chief Organizer Maryam Nawaz Sharif, officials of the four provinces, Azad Kashmir, Gilgit Baltistan, including central, provincial, divisional, district, tehsil and town level officials also participated in the meeting.
Around 3,500 members of the PML-N’s general council and senior leadership attended a party meeting in Lahore, at which the PML-N chief election commissioner, Rana Sanaullah, announced Sharif’s election as the party chief which was endorsed by the gathering.
Addressing the general council meeting, Nawaz told the party workers and leaders that it was time to rejoice not because he was reassuming the presidency but because “Saqib Nisar’s decision has been thrown into the dustbin”.
He told the party worker, “Call those who decided that Nawaz is disqualified forever. Today, Nawaz is standing before you again. Why was the decision made and for what reason? That Nawaz didn’t take a salary from his son.”
Nawaz Sharif while congratulating the party workers said that “by the grace of Allah, I am meeting you today after many years”. He further said, “You are the people who run and founded the PML-N, we are proud of you, storms came, you didn’t care about anyone”.
The former PM said, “I offer my heartiest congratulations to Shehbaz Sharif and my younger brother. There were many ups and downs, but Shehbaz Sharif stood firm and cleared all the tests. He told the party workers and leaders that, “You know many people tried to create rifts between him and Shehbaz Sharif.
He praised Shehbaz Sharif, who did not bow down and remained loyal. He said, “Shehbaz Sharif was told that he (Shehbaz Sharif) will be made the Prime Minister of Pakistan if he leaves Nawaz Sharif but Shehbaz never compromised on the principle and remained loyal with the party”.
Nawaz Sharif also felicitated Maryam Nawaz by saying that she mobilized the party during hard times. The former Prime Minister said, “there was a time when I was in prison, when she came to visit me and they arrested her in front of my eyes”.
Nawaz Sharif said, Hamza Shehbaz also faced the jail term with grace and all this was for his party and his country.
He further said party leaders Rana Sanaullah, Tariq Fazal Ch, Iqbal Zafar Jhagra are all sitting and many other party workers and leaders also served the jail with honor.
He also mentioned the sacrifices given by Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Miftah Ismail and other leaders. He said Shahid Kahaqan Abbasi and Miftah Ismail also faced the jails bravely.
“Conspiracies being hatched by the PTI founder will fail,” he added.
Nawaz Sharif said unfortunately the well-wishers of the country were being mistreated since 1947. He said Pakistan’s prosperity was snatched by few elements. He said the “public mandated was destroyed by the five people”.
He said “we should admit that we ourselves destroyed our country.” He said if PML-N governments were not removed now the country would have been ranked among the developed nations.
Nawaz Sharif said, “Ever since I became the Chief Minister of Punjab from 1985 till now, he saw many events in front of my eyes. Whenever the PML-N government has come, whether it is at the center or in the province”.
He said “if PML-N governments would not have been removed under the conspiracy, Pakistan would have been a key power in South Asia”.
He said leg dragging had been continued on for a long time which weakened Pakistan. He said, “we must admit that we have destroyed ourselves. If my legs had not been pulled when I took over the government in 1990, there would have been no such thing as poverty in Pakistan”.
PML-N chief said, “in my tenure, the dollar was at 104 versus US dollar. In 2017, the price of bread was 4 rupees and gold was 50 thousand rupees while the vegetables were Rs 10 per kg”.
Nawaz said in 1990, “We did not have begging bowl in our hands and did everything with our own resources”. He claimed, “PML-N established peace in Karachi, we built the motorway. We ended the loadshedding in the country. The stock market was booming and the CPEC was started”.
The PML-N chief said “the prosperity of Pakistan was taken away by only four or five people.”
While referring to Saqib Nisar the PML-N chief said, “You have ruined Pakistan and our party in false cases, I faced 150 appearances in fake cases. The High Court dismissed all the cases, why false cases were made against us”.
The newly elected PML-N President Nawaz Sharif said that the next two years might be challenging for the government and the people.
“But if the government works hard and is persistent, the last three years of the current tenure would be prosperous,” he remarked.
He was of the view that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chief Minister Punjab Maryam Nawaz are working hard for well-being of the people.
Speaking on Youm-e-Takbeer, the PML-N president said that Bill Clinton, the US President at the time, made him a covert offer prior to Pakistan’s 1998 nuclear tests. “Bill Clinton had offered Pakistan $5 billion to abandon the nuclear tests but we refused it,” he added
Nawaz Sharif emphasized that Pakistan is a nation that values its independence and will not compromise on its principles. “We are not a nation that sells out.”
Referring to the cases against PTI chief, Nawaz Sharif said the cases against Imran Khan were true. He told Imran Khan that, “you came to politics while sitting on their shoulders, you should take out that tapes when you (Imran) told him to come to Bani Gala, adding that PML-N had the mandate at that time.”
Nawaz Sharif said after talks Imran Khan sked him to build the Banigala road which I got built in weeks.
Former Prime Minister said but soon after the meeting, “Imran Khan, goes to London, where the London Plan was made. Meanwhile, one Maulana Sahib came from Canada and one was Parvez Elahi Sahib and it was decided in London that they have to go to Pakistan and stage a sit-in. And I was told to resign and go home or you will be repent but I told them that Nawaz Sharif will never resigned”.
Nawaz Sharif said that General (retd) Zaheerul Islam had stated that the third force could come in the country. “The PTI founder should tell whether he was not the third force. I will quit politics if he (PTI founder) refuses it,” he challenged.
Referring to the May 9 riots, he said that we are the ones who stand with May 28th (Pakistan’s nuclear tests day), not with May 9th.
Earlier, addressing the general council meeting, Prime Minister Shehbaz congratulated his brother on reassuming the party presidency. “The injustice which was committed against you in 2017 … God has restored you to the position and respect as before with this great majority.”
He said the responsibility and trust which was given to him was today returned to Nawaz. Shehbaz said those who had tried to “humiliate” Nawaz’s achievements and services to the nation through “betrayal and fraud” were today shamed themselves while his brother stood vindicated.
The prime minister said his brother was disqualified in bogus and baseless cases, adding that even his opponents were forced to admit the injustice with the elder Sharif.
Shehbaz directly accused PTI founder Imran Khan of being behind the alleged rigging in the 2018 general elections, saying that “Nawaz’s winning election was turned into a defeat.” The prime minister excoriated the PTI founder for allegedly criticising the army. NNI
