PML-N nominates Nawaz for the Prime Minister seat

PML-N senior leader proposes Nawaz Sharif's name as a candidate for prime minister, party members unanimously approve.

ISLAMABAD: The parliamentary party of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) on Saturday unanimously nominated party chief Nawaz Sharif as their candidate for the office of Prime Minister.

Nawaz Sharif would serve an unprecedented third term as the premier of Pakistan, if elected.

The parliamentary party meeting was chaired by PML-N President Nawaz Sharif at the parliament house prior to the oath-taking of the newly elected members of the National Assembly. PML-N senior leader Chaudhry Nisar proposed Nawaz as the party's Leader of the House, which was unanimously approved by the elected party members.

The nomination papers for the leader of the house would be submitted in the speaker secretariat on June 4 and the election will be held on June 5 in the National Assembly.

Addressing the parliamentary party, Nawaz informed his party’s newly elected members about his government’s priorities.  “At present, the country is facing a score of daunting challenges, which needed to be tackled at war footing,” he stated. He particularly mentioned that the matters of the highest priority would be the shaken economy‚ poverty‚ high unemployment rates‚ load shedding and terrorism.

The Prime Minister-elect predicted that the new government would be facing a crisis-like situation and stringent measures would have to be taken to meet the challenges. He also vowed that that those who have stolen the national wealth would be held accountable.

He told his party workers that if an amount of Rs550 billion is needed to get rid of the ongoing load shedding, adding that a strategy is being devised to resolve the issue of outstanding circular debts.

“We are facing billions of rupees line losses…we will have to fix them and to recover the outstanding dues.”

Nawaz also pledged to drive the country towards self-sufficiency, rather relying on others. “Instead of spreading a begging bowl before others‚ we will have to make the country stand on its own feet for a sustainable development.”

The PML-N leader urged the party’s parliamentarians to meet the expectations of the voters, for which they have been elected to assemblies. “Whatever hopes we had from the people, we got it and now it is up to you to meet the expectations of those who sent you here.”

Nawaz categorically warned his MNAs to avoid involvement in any kind of corruption, saying that it would not be tolerated, and directed them to also look into reported irregularities in the government.

Referring to the war on terror, he said more than 40,000 people have lost their lives while the country’s economy suffered damages worth billions of rupees. “We have to bring the things back on the right track, and for this, we will have to bring changes in our policies and conducts.”