PML-N to ‘oppose’ poll delay tooth and nail

Shehbaz says party will respect whoever people vote to power

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Shehbaz Sharif, stressing that they would oppose any attempt to postpone the upcoming general elections scheduled for Feb 8, on Saturday said that such a move would be “disastrous” for the country as well as democracy.

The PML-N leader made the remarks in an interview with a private news channel. The nation had been grappling with uncertainty regarding the holding of polls due to the prevailing political and economic conditions in the country.

Last week, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) had dismissed the Senate resolution seeking poll delay due to harsh winter weather, asserting that all preparations were in place and that pushing the date was "inadvisable”.

In a letter addressed to the Joint Secretary (Legislation) of the Senate, the election supervisor had conveyed that it would not be prudent to postpone the general elections at this stage, adding that the resolution of the upper house of Parliament cannot be currently implemented.

Earlier, JUI-F chief Maulana Fazur Rehman had also stated that “sky will not fall if polls are delayed for the sake of a better atmosphere”.

During the interview, the PML-N president detailed that they had been busy with the election campaign, saying that his brother and party supremo Nawaz Sharif had conducted interviews of potential candidates, adding that decisions had been taken after due consultations.

“Only 18 days are left in the the general elections. Postponing elections at this time will be ‘disastrous’ for the country and politics. We should go ahead with the polls,” he asserted.

Shehbaz emphasised they would oppose any move to put off the general elections, adding that they will respect whoever the people vote for. The PML-N leader highlighted that the biggest challenge at the moment was to revitalise the economy.

Read: PML-N to finally unveil its manifesto

He urged all stakeholders to maintain unity in the better interest of the country.

Shehbaz maintained that the PML-N worked “day and night” for the progress of Pakistan, crediting his party for making the country a nuclear power, bringing in more than $30b investment in CPEC, improving public transport and upgrading the health and education facilities.

When asked why he was not able to manage the depreciation of the rupee against the dollar during his tenure as premier, the PML-N leader recalled that 13 parties had been in alliance in Centre at the time.

Shehbaz said he had saved the country from bankruptcy. He added that the PDM government under his premiership battled hard for the country’s survival without any political agenda.

He also observed that Nawaz would be the party’s candidate for the premiership, hoping that they would gain simple majority in the upcoming polls.

Shehbaz asserted that the PML-N supremo was falsely implicated in cases, including the Panama case, where he was subsequently sentenced.

He said PTI founding member Imran Khan would not have been incarcerated if the May 9 incident had not happened.