LONDON: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif has stated that PML-N, which headed the Pakistan Democratic Movement’s (PDM) government before the commencement of the caretaker setup last month, saved Pakistan from default by putting their politics at risk.
Addressing a gathering of PML-N party officials in Punjab through a virtual platform, the former prime minister said it was important to unmask the individuals responsible for the country’s current dire situation. He held the view that the public must not forgive those he
referred to as the culprits, including his political rivals in the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).
Nawaz Sharif, intending to conclude his self-imposed exile in London and make his way back to Pakistan next month, emphasized that while certain losses can be mitigated, others are irreversible. He asserted that without the intervention of the PDM government to avert a financial crisis, the cost of petrol might have surged up to Rs1,000 per litre.
Expressing empathy for the financial hardships experienced by the general populace, Nawaz Sharif observed that numerous individuals were finding it exceedingly difficult to make both ends meet, given the rising food inflation, exorbitant utility bills and the cost of essential medical care.
He lamented the irony that during his tenure as prime minister, Pakistan became a nuclear power, but he was subsequently deported, imprisoned and sentenced to 27 years on terrorism charges.
Nawaz Sharif alleged that former army chief General (retd) Qamar Javed Bajwa and Lt Gen (retd) Faiz Hameed, in collaboration with former chief justices of the Supreme Court Saqib Nisar and Asif Saeed Khosa, conspired to remove him from power.
He also recalled that he and other PML-N leaders, including his family members Maryam Nawaz Sharif and Hamza Shehbaz Sharif, endured imprisonment and hardships without having committed any crime.
Nawaz Sharif recalled that when he assumed the role of prime minister in December 1990, India emulated the economic reforms initiated by his government in Pakistan. He expressed regret that unlike Pakistan, India has achieved significant milestones today, such as reaching the moon and hosting G20 meetings. He also noted the stark contrast in
economic progress, with India now possessing foreign reserves of $600 billion.
In the current economic climate, Nawaz Sharif expressed his dissatisfaction by highlighting that the prime minister of Pakistan was compelled to seek assistance from other countries.
Despite the challenges his party has faced, Nawaz Sharif emphasiZed that they were not interested in pursuing political vendettas against their opponents, declaring that they harbored no desire for revenge.
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