Country facing defining moment, claims Nawaz

LAHORE: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif Thursday said that the country is facing a defining moment.

Virtually addressing a convention of PML-N parliamentarians and ticket-holders here from London, he warned that he and his party would not sit back and watch the ongoing state of affairs as silent spectators. He said those who brought [Prime Minister] Imran Khan [to power] should be held accountable, as without it neither the country nor the government could run smoothly. He said the country was passing through defining moments currently.

While commenting on the present state of economic condition and the hardships afflicting the people of Pakistan, Nawaz questioned: “Who should I hold responsible for this? Just Imran Khan, or those who are really responsible for it?”

Nawaz said that without an effective and true parliament, the institutions of a country could not operate. He said even the judiciary could not work without it. He reiterated that he would make them answer who brought “this problem” [to government].

He said people were crying because of rising inflation and ever-increasing prices of electricity and gas. He said no one in the government was thinking how these people were living and surviving.

Nawaz Sharif said that he had decided to bring the actual root-cause of the country's problems and political instability in front of the nation. He advised that the army should limit itself to its constitutional role only. He said that there were only few who crossed the lines. “I respect my soldiers and generals, but I cannot respect those who do not respect the Constitution and rig elections,” he added.

He also directed his party's parliamentarians to take a stand, saying that they were not "rented members". He said: "We are not sheep that can be herded; and if that has happened [in the past], it will not happen anymore,” he warned and added that the PML-N would make Pakistan a respectable country.

He announced that any party member who was scared to come out should stay at home. “We don't need cowards. You don't deserve to be in the assemblies if you are scared,” he added.

Nawaz also criticised the government for begging money from other countries, though they had promised not to do so. About the Supreme Court decision, which disqualified him in the Panama Papers case, he said so far he did not understand what happened. He said he was disqualified for not taking a salary from his son.

He concluded that he will continue his struggle for the people of Pakistan. Earlier, addressing the convention, PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz asked the party leaders and workers to gear up their activities for the first rally of Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), to be held in Gujranwala on October 16.

More rallies would follow in Karachi, Quetta, Peshawar, Multan and Lahore on Oct 18, 25, Nov 22, 30, and Dec 13, respectively. “The decisive struggle is near and In-sha-Allah we will win this battle,” Maryam said ‘giving honour to vote’ is the only solution to all problems, being faced by the country currently.

She said Nawaz Sharif was fighting for the nation's rights. She said everyone present here was a witness to the pre-poll rigging in their respective constituencies. She said the rigging of general election, held in 2018, began three months prior to the elections.

Maryam said that when selected people came to power, they only obliged their masters, resulting in increase in poverty, rising inflation, law and order situation and other problems. She said presently the constitutional rights of the citizens were not being given.

She said the fault of Nawaz Sharif was that he raised the slogan of ‘Vote Ko Izzat Do’ [Give honour to vote]. She said he was termed a traitor who conducted six atomic explosions against India’s five explosions, supported Pakistan’s armed forces in the war against terrorism and provided every resources to them, and who built the JF Thunder to strengthen Pakistan’s air force. She regretted summoning of Nawaz Sharif through advertisements in newspapers.

The PML-N vice president said the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) banned broadcast of Nawaz Sharif addresses, but it would not hurt the anti-government movement. She said Nawaz Sharif’s voice had already reached every house of Pakistan due to his political victimisation. She said Nawaz Sharif had left his daughter in the country with his party workers to lead the movement.

Addressing the convention, former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi asked the party lawmakers to be on the frontlines when the movement hits the streets. "From today, we need to commit that we will not hold back [...] even if we have to go to jails.

"If you spend three or four months there, it will be good for your health," Abbasi quipped in a lighter vein. PML-N stalwart Khwaja Asif said on the occasion the nation was disturbed as the economy was in a shambles.

"For how long will we pay the price?" he asked. "The leader [Nawaz] has announced a war, and this is the war for democracy. "We have fought for democracy in every era under the leadership of Nawaz Sharif," Asif added.

Later on, through a resolution the PML-N members from the National and provincial assemblies and the Senate strongly supported the leadership of Nawaz Sharif, his views, political ideology and strategy.

The resolution, passed by a consultative meeting, expressed full confidence in Nawaz Sharif and gave him the powers to make all necessary decisions for supremacy of the Constitution and democracy and the rights of people as and when required.

The resolution said that the dignity of the parliament was tarnished and it was made a rubber stamp. It added that in the election of the chairman of the Senate, the votes of the members were stolen while recently legislative procedure was bulldozed under the guise of Financial Action Task Force (FATF). The resolution slammed the dictatorship and said parliament was deprived of its role in safeguarding the public aspirations, constitutional requirements and civil and constitutional rights. Legislation is being done by presidential ordinances, affecting the affairs between the federation and the units, which is very regrettable and reprehensible, it added.

The meeting advised Nawaz Sharif to return to Pakistan only on the advice of doctors and give priority to his treatment. "Nawaz Sharif is a precious asset to Pakistan and its people. His health guarantees a bright future for Pakistan and the well-being of its people," the resolution added.

"We support the aims and objectives of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) and pledge that we will make every sincere effort to get rid of the gang of vote thieves.

"We will not spare any sacrifice while playing a historic role in rescuing the country and the nation from the current problems," the resolution said. Rising inflation, unemployment, increasing poverty and the destruction of the economy was extremely worrying, it said adding that in two-and-a-half years, the incompetent and corrupt government had set a historic record of destruction in every sector.

The dollar has kept the rupee at bay and inflation had kept the people at bay, it said and added that flour, sugar, medicine, everything was rare and their prices had skyrocketed. This oppression of the people was intolerable and unacceptable. Following the IMF agenda, the breath of Pakistan's economy had been stifled. Curbs had been imposed, which was not in the interest of the country and the nation. Time had come to break those chains, added the resolution.

The meeting strongly condemned the government move while rejecting further hike in prices of electricity, gas, essential commodities, food and medicine and demanded that the prices of PML-N era should be restored.

Expressing solidarity with the government employees and pensioners across the country, the resolution demanded that their demands be met immediately. The meeting strongly condemned the filing of treason cases against the PML-N leadership.

The meeting particularly strongly condemned the registration of treason case against Raja Farooq Haider Khan, the elected Prime Minister of Azad Jammu and Kashmir and termed it a very shameful act of the government guilty of 'Fall of Kashmir' for the Kashmir cause.

It added that the present government's reckless measures had deteriorated relations with trusted countries like Saudi Arabia and Islamic countries and acted in rolling back of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). This will take Pakistan towards global isolation, it warned.

The meeting strongly condemned the alleged use of national media, Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA), National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) against the opposition parties.

Following the recent decision of the Islamabad High Court (IHC), "the fascist and dictatorial circular of PEMRA should be withdrawn immediately", the resolution demanded. The arrest of Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman, kidnapping of journalists, registration of other cases including treason against them, threats, pressures and censorship tactics were the worst kinds of fascism, the resolution said, adding that all these measures were a proof that the country was ruled by a mob that did not believe in the Constitution, law and constitutional freedom. The party strongly condemns the arrest of the party president and leader of the opposition Shahbaz Sharif, as his arrest was the result of the worst political revenge of the NAB-Niazi nexus. Shahbaz Sharif was being punished for his ideological, party and strong commitment to his leader.

"We salute the courage, bravery and perseverance of the leader of the opposition in the Punjab Assembly, Hamza Shahbaz, the former leader of the opposition in the National Assembly, Syed Khurshid Shah and other arrested opposition leaders and those facing political retaliation." \It concluded that after the testimony of Bashir Memon, former DG FIA, there was no doubt about political revenge and NAB-Niazi nexus.