With the current civilian government set to achieve the rare feat of completing a tenure, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) chief has highlighted his party’s constructive contribution in allowing the incumbents to get to the finish line.
However, that said and done, Nawaz Sharif told a press conference in Mardan, the time had now come to elect “an honest representative” in the upcoming elections. The former prime minister then launched into election campaign mode.
He said that the PML-N had laid a strong foundation of positive and principled politics, which they never mixed with personal interests.
The PML-N chief also said that, if voted into power, his party would build a new, developed and prosperous Pakistan. He further vowed to make Pakistan a leading Islamic country with a fast growing economy unlike, he added, the present government.
Nawaz said that he had proposed to countries of the Economic Cooperation Organisation to link Pakistan with Central Asian States through motorways.
He also spoke about the recently renewed debate over the Kalabagh Dam, saying, “A complete agreement among the nation is needed to go ahead with Kalabagh Dam project.”
Lashing out at the Pakistan Peoples Party-led government, the PML-N chief said that not a single ruler was concerned about the law and order situation across the country, such as the security situation in Balochistan and target killings in Karachi.
“Had our elected government not been overthrown in 1999 by [former president Pervez] Musharraf, Pakistan would have achieved tremendous economic progress,” he said.
Nawaz also accused Musharraf of acting against the Constitution. “How could this country develop if non-democratic elements ambush governments within two years of its election,” he said.
The PML-N chief also lamented Pakistan’s standing in the international community, saying “It is ranked 7th among the corrupt countries of the world and people from around the world avoid coming here.”
Meanwhile, former minister Khawaja Mohammad Khan Hoti announced that he was joining the PML-N during the press conference.
The former minister had earlier joined the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) after quitting the Awami National Party (ANP).
He has formerly served as minister for anti-narcotics, PPP Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa president, vice-president of the PTI and president of the Pakistan Qaumi Mahaz Group.
(With additional input from Agencies)
Published in The Express Tribune, December 4th, 2012.
COMMENTS (36)
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congrats NS for the BIG achievement. Height of hypocrisy
Pakistans problems are because we are shortsighted. 5 years PPP government has been terrible, but it would have been worse in the long run had they been packed up within a year. We would have regressed 20 years. Not even PTI would complete its tenure without this noora kushti! Now that the chance is here to vote PPP out, we should be happy because they won't be able to complain about hidden forces and martyrdom to gain votes. This is what PML-Ms achievement is. It's easy to do big jalsa of a few hours and believe change has come, but extraordinary to work behind scenes for years and lay the foundations of change.
Again, how democracy works; you either have numbers or you don't. You can't force a government to make economic policies you want it to hv e, since its their government with own policies and ideology! You are bound by the constitution.Despite this handicap, PML-N played its role well. Passing of amendments, New NFC award, recovering of money under Ch.Nisar are all achievements. Since PMLN was the opposition, we can hope the elections will be fair, otherwise there would be no Fakhruddin Ibrahim and elecions would be carried out by PPP cronies. IK would have sat this election out as well. As for Nawaz assets, and taxes, I find it not worth replying to since these are all accusations based on zero research. Additionally, if a person feels transport and technology desn't help common man, then I suggst they take a less elitist view. The poor benefit far more from the scheme than the rich crowd, which is why the middle class urbanites don't get it. After all if you have an AC car, it doesn't matter if the journey is 20 minutes longer, and if you have a laptop and smartphone, you don't see how YOU can benefit from laptop scheme. Is this compassion for the common man?
All conspiracies of establishment were effectively shunned during the last 4.9 years !
The PML-N chief also lamented Pakistan’s standing in the international community, saying “It is ranked 7th among the corrupt countries of the world and people from around the world avoid coming here.”
Apparently Pakistan was the 2nd most corrupt nation when Nawaz Sharif was ruling.
It is no Mai Ka Laal other than NATO who has supported PPP in Govt for five years. Asif Zardari was planted by them as an extension to Mussarraf and he will stay until NATO does not need him anymore.
@B: yeah motorway is such a great initiative that we are still far from reaching the break even costs!. There is more employment, transportation, & greater reach to cities on GT road compared with the motorway, so again you are wrong as motorway is still underdeveloped even after more than a decade! The huge budget for motorway could've been spent on building better schools & universities which produce the best investment for any country as the educated ones build a nation BUT you are saying our people should look for job opportunities on motorway only? bravo for your far reaching & thought provoking outlook for Pakistan :) I think PMLN & people like you failed to understand what PRIORITISING means? The motorway money = could've easily upgraded GT road + new schools + universities + hospitals, this was the cost of motorway, ever heard of cost benefit analysis? please do it only then you'll know :) as for metro bus project, the government has yet to announce the ticket pricing & there was no point in spending 30 billion rupees!!!! we could've made lanes for BUS only, it works fine in the small narrow city roads of London BUT PMLN lacks the intellect & project management as we have now smaller roads due to this metro bus. and its an authentic source that steel for this project comes from Shariff families still mills, another reason to point at them. Now laptop, I heard it by myself that Punjab government got these laptops for 30-40K per unit but in reality it hardly costs 20K!!!! PMLN just spends few billions in collaboration of its business & partners interest & do few big projects as gimmicks to show off but in reality the poor is gaining nothing from these projects as they'll remain in the pit of poverty forever till they are given opportunities via good education system. biggest asset of any country is its resource of highly educated people not big projects, big projects come later, prioritising our goals is the key to success. P.S I support no parties, not a fanatic of any single party so don't tag others if they don't like PMLN who are partners with PPP.
The sad part is that the man does not even realise what he has said. The penny always drops late as far as Nawaz is concerned.
"In all ages the people have honored those who dishonored them. They have worshiped their destroyers; they have canonized the most gigantic liars, and buried the great thieves in marble and gold. Under the loftiest monuments sleeps the dust of murder." Robert Green Ingersoll
This quote truly reflects our attitude towards our political rulers. We have accepted wholeheartedly that its their right to rule us. its not them but us who have given them this right to rule. The day we realize the most important underlying fact that these politicians are not our rulers but our servants ( as civil servants), i am confident we will have a greater possibility to give the job to the right candidate. To start with, I would look for only 2 qualities in anyone i'd employee i.e. Saadiq ( truthful) & Ameen (trustworthy)...that's it. its no rocket science!!!!
@True Picture "is ring road going to help the 40% of the population that lives below poverty line"
Yes it will. Spending on infrastructure is always good and if you cannot comprehend that, that's a reflection of your IQ. Motorway for example is a road. Count how many people have jobs and businesses because of it. Many transport companies opened [before that transport industry was for badmash only but after motorway a guy with minimum investment can operate a small 4 bus company and there are many companies like that], drivers, conductors, motorway police, restaurants on the motorway and their investors and workers, CNG stations etc to count a few businesses that were made possible because a road was built. We are not even talking indirect benefits like more accessibility from different markets to each other.
But then again, I have seen Sharif haters and inqlabis complaining that driving without a bump makes them drowsy and its dangerous and Sharif is to blame. Yeah, he should have given you a servant "jo condiyan wad wad jagaye tuanon"
Metro bus project is for poor people in the first place. People who actually use public transport. And as far as all steel coming from ittefaq foundry thats just conjecture without evidence, but then again in Pakistan it doesnt matter if you lie so keep doing that. Laptop scheme was transparent as certified by Transparency International but then again, you the keyboard warrior don't want to know that. As you say, Aqal na howay te mojan hi mojan
NS and His Party did not support PPP but rather the democratic process in Pakistan that has been always demolished by the dictators..... I appreciate the courage by PML to not support the Military and Establishment powers in Pakistani Politics.
@MAC: Nawaz sharif will be a true democrat once he comes clean about his pending NAB cases worth millions of rupees stolen from banks. He will be a true democrat once he can tell us how he has built up a multi-million dollar empire without paying any taxes and how can he justify his estate in raiwind. Till then him supporting PPP government is a classical case of I scratch your back for five years and you pave way for me for the next five years.
@MAC: nobody asked anyone to make PPP go, all we asked for was true representation of common man BUT they looked after their own interests. how many bill have been passed for the benefit of the common man? is ring road going to help the 40% of the population that lives below poverty line? what about the metro bus project? all the steel used in this project comes from Ittefaq steel mills stockpile of steel which they were finding it hard to sell elsewhere! what about the laptop scheme? will these 40% ever benefit from it? mind you the real cost of these laptops was 20K but Punjab government got it for 40K/unit. as for PPP their show of public interest can be seen from the sufferings of people in Karachi. I see no difference in this Government or the dictatorship, in fact most people wish they had the previous government, ask anyone on the street.
If this is noora kushti or friendly opposition, Pakistan certainly needs more and more of it. So we avoid plunging back into the damaging and counterproductive politics of the 1990s, which did no political player any good. It just strengthened the hands of the establishment, allowing it to play divide and conquer with the political parties so it can enjoy a powerful position.
It is a symptom of the depoliticization of Pakistan's middle class urbanites that they cannot comprehend how democracy works. All over the world, it is considered strengthening of democratic values when an elected government completes its term. PPP, despite its performance, had that right to complete that 5 year term. The people who voted for it gave it that mandate. It didn't give itself that right. Now, if some people aren't happy about it, then perhaps their leaders or they should have taken part in elections to deny PPP that mandate. PML-N took part to do just that, and wasn't as successful as PPP, which limited its power. Why didn't they forcibly send PPP packing? They knew that no matter how politically damaging, some sacrifices have to be made to strengthen democracy. They put their own political future on the line to make sure an elected government completes its term and then gets elected out if it fails to deliver. This is the hallmark of democracy; tolerance and cooperation. In this sense, Nawaz Sharif is a true democrat and what he has done for Pakistan's democracy, will be remembered as a turning point for Pakistan.
Nawaz cooperated with PPP for his own sake.
If he would have become the hurdle, probably the Army must have taken over from PPP and then for another 10 years or so, Nawaz Sharif and his PML(N) would have lost its chance to come into power.
Thank you Mian Mohammad Nawaz Sharif for your kindness.
I thought they would be ashamed... feeling proud and claiming credit for setting up & supporting an absolute disaster gov. of history on this nation ..how ironic !!
You should be ashamed, what you have done, this is not credit but discredit. You hold the lions share in the miseries of the masses.
Then he is equally responsible for corruption & lawlessness in the country...as now the situation has been clarified people should vote for change i.e. PTI
Thx. But it was not by choice, rather for your contractual liabilitis and repeated assurances to the foreign "Royals". Moreover, you should take dis-credit for termination of 2 PPP, as well as 2 governments of your own.
so what did you achieve MR Nawaz by supporting PPP coalition ? 18th 19th amendment which was to safeguard the interests of politicians but no amendments for the interest of public, you ruled Punjab in return for the support of federal government, expanded your businesses at the expense of us "awaam" (sugar, wheat, steel mills, dairy farms etc) & list is endless of your dedicated support to your fellow politicians & keeping your self interests paramount. We on the other hand are suffering from your collaboration since "mango man" is only for votes come elections. Thank you Mr Nawaz for your charismatic & brave leadership :)
Well, Shame on you then!
You should be ashamed, what you have done is not credit but discredit. You hold the lions share in the miseries of the masses.
Finally he spits out the truth that he was actually supporting the government.
The Friendly Opposition!!!
I think you absolutely have to take responsibility for what's happening in 60% of the country.
Nawaz is the only possible leader to realistically take Pakistan out of the crisis. He must be credited for not toppling the government. He was the only person who could since his party formed the second largest block.
Unfortunately PTI which I support cant get their act together. The only surfers their Tsunami has been able to affect is themselves since below Imran the party is in total disarray. Im surprised even the likes of Asad Umar and Jehangir Tarin who ran organizations with thousands of people cannot keep a party together and functioning.
God Help people like me who are now banking on a miracle to steer PTI.
I agree with NS on him keeping this government alive when he had lots of chances to topple it. Long March, Alliance with PMLQ to make in house change, appeal for change after 2010 floods. A 5 year parliament is very healthy for our democracy and a fair share of the credit must be given to NS for not agitating to extremes and showing an ability to conciliate.
All political parties in power are responsible for the state that Pakistan is in. Using the excuse 'but if we were in power in the centre' is not going to work this time. You're 'bari' is up. Time to retire in KSA.
stop dreaming about your turn... you cant fool everyone all the time...
Yes, that's exactly what we want to give you the credit for...you are equally responsible for every problem and misery my nation is facing in the hands of the current government.
Shameless. I remember seeing him being one of the foremost people calling for actions to be taken that would result in them not completing their tenure a large number of times.
Its a good thing that both PMLN which is a relatively clean party compared to PPP and PTI have strong chances this election. Outcome could only be good for Pak
So is he also responsible for the mess they have created?
Then we must thank you for the situation in Baluchistan, killings in Karachi, unemployment, lack of basic necessities for the public. Thank for supporting our tormentors and keeping them in power. Now its your turn I guess.