Will not rest until vote gets respect, says Sharif

Those who serve the country are labeled either traitors or corrupt, says ex-PM at Chishtian rally

BAHALWALPUR: Deposed prime minister Nawaz Sharif has lamented that all the people who serve the nation are declared corrupt and a traitor, asking people to undo the Supreme Court order of his disqualification through their votes.

“Whosoever serves the nation is declared corrupt and a traitor. We have served the nation and the people are with me and I am with people,” Sharif said on Tuesday while addressing a public gathering at Tehsil Chistian of Punjab’s Bahawalnagar district. He was accompanied by his daughter Maryam Nawaz.

Reiterating his post-disqualification mantra against judiciary, Sharif asked the people what was the basis of his disqualification.

“Was I accused of corruption, embezzlement or stealing national resources? If not then ask them [the apex court] why they disqualified me? A panel of five judges disrespected people’s mandate by disqualifying me,” he added.

“Respect of vote means people should be given respect and no one should have a right to disrespect their mandate,” he said, adding that people would have to change the decision of his disqualification and do it this year.

“As long as we do not get respect for vote back, we will not rest,” he said.

The deposed PM said he wanted to make Pakistan’s youth a good and responsible citizen. He said it was his dream to given them employments but ‘they’ did not let the dream come true.



He lambasted the lawmakers leaving the ruling party ahead of the upcoming polls and said those who left the party in the name of ‘Janoobi Punjab Sooba Mahaz’ should know that they would not be able to win on their own as people would show their faith on anyone with a PML-N ticket.

Talking about his ongoing trial at an accountability court, Sharif said he first attended the 70th hearing of the case and then left for Bahawalpur from where he came to Chistian by road.

“It took me three hours to get here and will take three hours to go back but I would come here even if it took me 10 hours. The kind of welcome which Chistian has given me has made me very happy,” he said.

The PML-N leader said he was in Chistian to address a convention but people turned it into a public gathering “which is a sign that the PML-N (Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz) will be successful in the 2018 elections”.

He said in 2013, many parts of the country were enduring load-shedding spanning up to 20 hours, but the PML-N government controlled the situation, established energy projects of up to 10,000MW, eliminated terrorism, brought peace to Karachi and introduced the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

Sharif said the PML-N government made Bahawalpur-Hasilpur double road which would be extended to Chistian. “The people of Chistian have expressed their love [for me] and they will get a motorway,” he added.



He said during the last Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) government, farmers had to stand in lines for getting fertiliser, but the PML-N provided subsidy on fertiliser. There used to be long queues at CNG stations and “now all these issues have been resolved”, he added.

“We promised electricity and we made it happen… now we are promising houses to the youth and will fulfil the promise. Swift justice will be provided at your doorsteps, cases would be settled in months, weeks and days rather than years,” he said.

He said his party had a thorough and great manifesto and people would have to support him for achieving it. He took a promise from people to help him and promised his services in return.

At the end, Sharif announced that he would talk to Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif for awarding Tehsil status to Dahranwala.

Maryam takes jibes at opponents

Addressing the rally, Maryam Nawaz said the opposition had nothing to criticise the PML-N government with. “They can’t complain about [power] loadshedding or terrorism. This is the first Ramazan in years when people can fast without loadshedding,” she added.

The daughter of ousted premier said the incumbent government had fulfill all three promises it made before assuming power in 2013, which were resolving electricity woes, root out terrorism from the country and bringing economic reforms.

However, after four prosperous years, Pakistan’s development is now being hindered with the disqualification of Nawaz Sharif, she added.

Despite the passage of two years in courts, there were no proofs of corruption against Sharif, said the PML-N leader, adding that her father had also recorded an hours-long statement at the accountability court today, but the case was going nowhere.

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