Garnering support: Nawaz calls for common agenda for progress

Says instead of relying on army, public should decide the performance of leaders.

LAHORE:

PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif said on Saturday that a common agenda should be formulated by Pakistani people for the betterment of the country because they are the true watchdogs, the true monitors of political parties and their performance.

Speaking at an event organised in the memory of Maulana Sarfraz Naeem of Jamia Naeemia, the PML-N chief said that instead of relying on the army or foreign powers, people should judge the performance of political leaders.

If they don’t feel that the leadership is on the right track, said Nawaz, then the public should force them to follow the correct way. He added that martial laws and dictatorial regimes have made Pakistan a laughing stock in the world.

“We are responsible for allowing [dictators] to give a bad name to the country,” he added. “The civil society, Ulema, social experts and rights activists should come up with a unanimous agenda on how to run the country.”

Fakhar Imam joins PML-N

Earlier, former speaker of the National Assembly Fakhar Imam joined the PML-N along with his supporters.  PML-N’s parliamentary board on Saturday conducted interviews of party applicants in three divisions – Gujranwala, Dera Ghazi Khan and Multan – for award of party tickets.

Imam was the leader of the opposition in the National Assembly from 1985 to 1986. He was also the National Assembly speaker from 1986 to 1988.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 24^th, 2013.