LAHORE – Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) chief Nawaz Sharif, who turned 61 on Friday, stopped party workers from celebrating his birthday in order to show simplicity and austerity. A private function was held at the Sharif family farmhouse at Raiwind, which was attended by close family members.
According to the PML-N website, Nawaz was born on December 25, 1949 in Lahore. PML-N leaders organised cake-cutting ceremonies throughout the city in their personal capacity for expressing love for their leader. Party leaders also displayed banners carrying slogans such as “Save Pakistan, Bring Nawaz Sharif” and “Happy Birthday to Nawaz Sharif” at the Mall and in front of the Punjab Assembly.
A PML-N leader told Pakistan Today that Nawaz had cancelled all his birthday celebrations just like last year and ordered workers to mark the day as the Quaid-e-Azam’s birth anniversary and Christmas. He said that during Nawaz’s exile in Saudi Arabia and London, the PML-N had a tradition to celebrate his birthday for charging feelings of party leaders and workers. On its chief’s birthday, the PML-N reiterated its stance that it would not support any unconstitutional change in the country.
It said that the ruling coalition must change its conduct and determine its priorities to ensure good governance and transparency in all fields. “This is another rare chance for the government to bring about a behavioural change, shun the traits of confrontation and focus on well-being of the people, failing this the PML-N will be obliged to mount its pressure on the government in and outside parliament to set its course of action on the right track”, PML-N leader Iqbal said adding that confronting the Supreme Court would be a great disservice to the government and people.
The PML-N spokesman said that his party wanted a drastic change in pattern of governance that was styled in a despotic attitude since the country’s inception. Such colonial blueprint had to be discarded to serve the people on basis of an even-handed dispensation, socio-economic justice, good governance, merit, rule of law and an end to corruption, he said.
The spokesman said that if the ruling coalition failed to end corruption, the PML-N would not sit quite.
