Shehbaz Sharif has stood by me through everything: Nawaz Sharif

Says disqualification verdict was passed in a week while Musharraf still walks free

LAHORE: Former premier Nawaz Sharif took a break from attacking the judiciary to say that it is the right time to raise the flag for supremacy of justice in the country.

Addressing the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Social Media Workers Convention in Lahore on Tuesday, party chief Sharif highlighted that the country’s history shows that every dictator that came to power was legitimised by the courts. He said former military dictator Pervez Musharraf had violated the constitution, but his case was still pending in the courts, in marked contrast to how his case was disposed of in just a few months, with the decision costing him the office of prime minister.

The PML-N president expressed his fervent hope that his party would witness a ‘historic victory’ in the upcoming general elections, an impression which was underscored by the strong morale and enthusiasm of party members attending at the convention. He told those in attendance that the PML-N’s rivals would again fail to dislodge the party from power.



Casting light on his relationship with his younger brother, Punjab Chief Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, Nawaz lauded him by stating how the CM had stood by him through thick and thin, and had played a key role in helping to fulfil the promises he made to the country. “He stood with me like an equal and took responsibility for fixing problems,” he pointed out.

Listing his achievements during his tenure in office, Sharif claimed that he had helped address terrorism and load-shedding. “With God’s grace, we have eliminated terrorism over the past four years, load shedding has ended, and cricket has returned to Lahore.”

At the same time, he complained that progress had been stymied by the Panama Papers verdict, in which he was disqualified on the basis of his not collecting a salary from his son’s company. Looking towards the future, he told the conference that it was necessary to move forward and not look back. “The youth will take Pakistan forward. Nobody can stop you except God,” Sharif said.

Although Pakistan has been in existence for more than 70 years, the PML-N leader said, the Quaid-e-Azam’s dream has yet to be fully realised.

In a swipe at Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan, Sharif said Khan had been spared punishment despite admitting to a crime.  He added that throughout the world, people had the right to elect a government, but this was not the case in Pakistan. He referred to double standards by saying that “Pakistan is a country where some people’s offshore companies are ‘halal’ and others’ are ‘haram’.” He repeated his claim that no graft allegations were proven against him.



The boss’s daughter

Addressing the charged audience, PML-N leader Maryam Nawaz Sharif spoke defiantly in her father’s defence. She said he was attacked because he stood for an ideology and made tough calls instead of expedient ones.

“Nawaz Sharif was attacked because he stands with his ideology, and his ideology is about respecting elected representatives,” she said to loud chants from her supporters. She also indirectly lashed out at the judiciary, saying the “doctrine of necessity cannot stand with the ideology of democracy”.

She underscored that there is no doctrine of necessity in a democracy. She warned strict action if any of her social media team members were threatened. She asserted “Those who are elected by voters cannot be ‘minus’, and that a few individuals cannot impose their will against the desire of 200 million people.”

Highlighting the achievements of the PML-N social media wing, she claimed her team had established footholds in every district and street of Pakistan. She apprised the gathering that the PML-N social media team had played a key role in mobilising support for the GT Road rally and the NA-120 by-polls, and urged the party president to fully support their efforts.