Zardari won’t last: Nawaz

ISLAMABAD: Former prime minister and PML-N Quaid Muhammad Nawaz Sharif Monday said the PPPP President and former president Asif Ali Zardari will soon be on the receiving end of his actions.

Addressing party leaders and workers outside the accountability court after attending the proceedings here, he said attempts were being made to repeat the same game in the National Assembly election that was played in the Senate chairman’s election.

“I ask Zardari what they have done for the people of Sindh. They could not even give them peace,” he said and asked as to why the PPP had not launched an operation in Karachi against the miscreants.

He said it was the responsibility of the Sindh government to eradicate terrorism from Karachi. “Had the residents of Karachi not given mandate to the PPP to eliminate terrorism? This too was done by us," he added. Nawaz said he was happy to say that he had served the country day and night adding that the Pakistan of 2018 was quite different from the Pakistan of 2013.

"The picture of Pakistan can change if our agenda can get 10-20 years. A new Pakistan could have been formed but no one allows you to work here," Nawaz asserted. Taking a jibe at the PTI’s Minar-e-Pakistan rally, he said: "Jalsa Lahore da, majma Peshawar da, agenda kisi hor da (Lahore rally had crowd from Peshawar and served someone else's agenda)."

“We have been listening to the PTI leadership’s shallow slogans for quite some time. What have they done in the KP is before everyone and it does not have any comparison with the Punjab."

In response to a question by a newsman, Nawaz said he could only tell something after going through the PTI's 11-point agenda announced by Imran Khan for the upcoming elections. In a determined tone, Nawaz said he would not bow down to any tactics aimed at forcing him to compromise on his narrative of ‘Vote Ko Izzat Do’.

“I have decided that I will not bow to any tactics and am ready to give a practical shape to my ‘Vote Ko Izzat Do’ narrative at all costs,” he said. PML-N President and Punjab Chief Minister Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif, Hamza Shahbaz, Maryam Nawaz, Information Minister Maryam Aurangzeb and other party leaders were also present on the occasion.

Later, addressing party lawmakers alongside Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) President Shahbaz Sharif, Nawaz said, “If you all back me, then we will definitely win this battle.” Nawaz asked his workers to support him in changing the direction of first 70 years of Pakistan’s history.

“I am confident that the next 70 years will be different from the first 70 years of the country. The history will not forgive us if we failed to fulfill our commitment,” he said. He expressed the hope that the masses would support him and they will move forward together towards their destination.

Nawaz said he was having a hard time and could be punished anytime but he was not frightened. “It’s also being planned to drag me in another case of widening the Raiwind road if I managed to get out of the existing cases. But, I’ll not bow to any tactics and will continue to wage a war,” he said.

Nawaz asked if he was being punished for turning the country into a nuclear state after rejecting $5 billion offer from the then US president Bill Clinton in return for not carrying out nuclear tests.

On the Iqama issue, Nawaz asked as to why he was sent into exile and how he could travel from one place to another without Iqama when he did not even have a passport. Without naming the PTI Chairman Imran Khan, Nawaz said he was deceiving the nation and making false claims as he could not bring about a change in the country.

“I ask you if the new Pakistan could be made through false claims and hypocrisy,” he asked the party leaders and workers. He also challenged the Sindh and KP governments to compare their performance with Punjab’s.

Meanwhile, in a fresh salvo on Monday, Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif said the PTI Chairman Imran continued to hide behind the Shaukat Khanum Hospital, NUML University and the cricket world cup even after five years of his party’s rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa adding that he was destined to meet defeat.

He said this while addressing a meeting of members of parliament and party workers belonging to Multan and Bahawalpur divisions in Islamabad. PML-N Quaid Muhammad Nawaz Sharif, federal ministers, PML-N leaders, Hamza Shahbaz Sharif, Maryam Nawaz and other party office-bearers were present on the occasion.

Slamming Imran for his speech at his “Tsunami plus” power show at Minar-e-Pakistan, Lahore, Shahbaz asked how a certain section of society could pin their hopes on Imran for a change in their destiny.

He said Imran couldn’t even change his speech in the last 22 years, what makes a certain section of the society hope that he could change their destiny?”

He said Imran had broken all records of liars and people would reject his double standards in the next election. He said instead of serving people in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Imran wasted time on staging protests and sit-ins.

“People’s court is the biggest court and the PML-N would go to the next election on the basis of its performance,” he remarked. He said it was the pre-election routine that beholden opportunists start flocking but those who were filled with the passion of public service and loyalty stand like a solid rock and brave all kinds of pressure.

Shahbaz Sharif said Imran Khan's meeting of 2018 was a failure from every respect as compared to the gathering of 2011. “The participation of locals was negligible and public passion was also missing. In this meeting, only the aspiring candidates of tickets brought the people along which is a proof of unsuccessful politics of Imran Khan.”

Shahbaz Sharif said that due to the sit-ins, lockdown, civil disobedience and politics of anarchy, the visit of Chinese president to Pakistan was postponed. “Resultantly, mega projects were delayed and obstructions were created in the development process,” he added

He said Muhammad Nawaz Sharif had rejected the offer of Bill Clinton to the tune of five billion dollars and showed valor and bravery by making six explosions in response to five atomic explosions.

He said 2018 belonged to the PML-N and the party will achieve success due to its public service records. He said Imran Niazi lied day and night and leveled allegations and now the nation will hold him accountable for his deeds.

He said Imran Niazi claimed in a meeting that he will never speak lies but he had set records of speaking lies during the last five years and added that nation will take stock of his performance now.

“This double standard will not work as you resort to sit-ins and when it is the turn of the opponents you distribute sweets. They have brought the people to Lahore from across the country by spending crores of rupees but these people have become our voters after seeing the composite development in the city of Lahore,” concluded the chief minister.