Shah clarified he had intended to raise the slogan ‘jiyo Nawaz jiyo (Long live Nawaz) and follow it up with ‘go Imran go’ at his party’s Istehkam-e-Pakistan rally on Friday. Instead, in the heat of the moment, the leader jumbled the two up.
The PML-N leader regretted the faux pas and convened a news conference at the Peshawar Press Club on Saturday to set the record straight.
According to Shah, the slogan was purely a blunder, which was blown on social media. He insisted that such incidents are not unusual and have occurred before.
“While campaigning for the general elections, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan mistakenly asked his supporters to stamp on the symbol of the lion instead of a cricket bat,” he pointed out.
Such mistakes are fairly common and there are ways to make amends just like there are ways to compensate for mistakes made during prayers, he added.
He insisted the Istehkam-e-Pakistan rally was not a political gathering but a workers’ gathering arranged on short notice. “The party’s public gathering will surpass any event organised by the PTI,” he added.
According to the PML-N leader, his party’s policies are aimed at enhancing development and have been wholeheartedly welcomed. He added the PTI government in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) has not spent a major portion of its financial budget on development projects. As a result, the people of the province are disillusioned by its policies.
“Lawlessness and target killings are on the rise in K-P. Instead of providing relief, the K-P government has allowed the situation to deteriorate,” said Shah.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 21st, 2014.
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