Shehbaz proposes national govt, demands fair vote

Opposition Leader in the National Assembly and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Shehbaz Sharif on Monday proposed formation of a national government, saying no single party was capable of steering the country out of a myriad of problems facing the nation.

Speaking during his visit to the Mazar-e-Quaid, Shehbaz said if given a chance, his party would establish a national government, stressing that all political parties must be given “an equal chance and a level-playing field in the elections to form a people’s government”.

Shehbaz slammed the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government for being “incompetent” and alleged that the ruling party had made its way into power “through backdoor”.

He claimed that the kind of solid support the incumbent government enjoyed from the establishment was unprecedented.

“No other government in the country’s history could receive even a 30% of what is being lavished on the current government, yet It is unfortunate that the PTI has failed to use it to serve the people,” he said. “We have demanded that the 2023 general elections be held transparently.”

Recalling the tenure of the previous government, Shehbaz said, “The 20-hour daily load-shedding in the country didn’t vanish magically; it was eliminated due to Nawaz Sharif’s hard work and struggle.”

To a question related to Karachi’s development, the former Punjab chief minister said, “Smaller provinces won’t progress until the country progresses. The Green Line bus project was a gift of the PML-N for the people of Karachi.”

Read Shehbaz to stand for election from Karachi

While responding to another question, Shehbaz said, “The [Pakistan] People’s Party is a political party and a reality,” adding: “I was chosen as the leader of the opposition in the National Assembly by all political parties and it is my responsibility to take every party on board and voice their concerns.”

He emphasised that Pakistan could regain its lost glory with honesty and hard work and reminded that the Quaid-i-Azam had envisaged a welfare state. Even after the passage of more than seven decades, he said, “we have been unable to materialise the original vision” behind the creation of Pakistan.

“It is a shame that we have forgotten the words of the Quaid. Today, we are far from the destination, we had set for ourselves,” the PML-N president said.

Commenting on the emerging Afghan situation after the Taliban takeover, Shehbaz said, “We support Afghan dialogue but it is up to the people of Afghanistan to choose their government,” adding that the country “will accept whoever comes to power as a result of the aspirations of the people”.

A day earlier, leaders of the PDM announced marching towards Islamabad “with a sea of people” to topple the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf.