The Chaudhrys of Gujrat should seek an apology from the nation for supporting dictator Pervez Musharraf and should vow not to side with any dictator in the future, PML-N President Nawaz Sharif said on Sunday. He was addressing a press conference with Marvi Memon at Raiwind wherein she announced to join the PML-N. Before the press conference, Marvi had a detailed meeting with Nawaz. Ghous Ali Shah, Khawaja Saad Rafiq, Pervaiz Rasheed, Maryum Nawaz, Asif Kirmani and other leaders were also present. Nawaz said no compromise would be made on principles. “We supported the 20th Amendment without any personal interests and managed to win conditions which would strengthen democracy in the country,” he said, adding that the PML-N would not stop calling spade a spade.
He said the PML-N would always thrive for eradicating the role of military establishment from politics. Nawaz acknowledged the PPP for sacrificing for democracy, but also criticised it, saying, “The PPP is compromising only to prolong its rule.” He said his party would have solved 50 percent of the country’s problems had it been in the rule. “The situation of Punjab, where the PML-N is ruling is far better than other provinces and it is only because of wise policies of the PML-N,” he said, adding that if the PML-N government was not sacked in 1999, Pakistan would have become the “Asian Tiger”.
He said under his rule, the Indian prime minister came to Pakistan and signed agreements. “Whenever our government came to power, opponents did not like the progress of Pakistan and derailed democracy,” he said, adding that when President Zardari imposed governor’s rule in Punjab, “we could have saved our government with the support of Chaudhrys, but we did not opt for that”.
Defending signing of 20th Amendment, Nawaz said it would strengthen Pakistan. “We did not ask for ministries or any other benefit out of the 20th Amendment, rather we strengthened democracy,” he added. He welcomed Marvi Memon to the PML-N, saying his party needed people like her. Marvi said her first encounter with the PML-N was in the era of President Musharraf, when the PML-N was fighting for democracy in the country. Without naming any leader, she said she had learnt her lesson in three years, but many politicians had not learnt that even in 20 years and “are playing in the hands of the establishment”.
She said after serious thinking and brain storming session of eight months, she decided to join the PML-N, which had taken visible reform steps in the direction of new politics. “I examined all the propaganda against the PML-N and discussed it with the leadership and then decided to join the PML-N,” she said, adding that she would serve the PML-N as a worker and did not have a desire for any designation. She said the PML-N leadership was loyal and humble and she did not see any impression of stubbornness.
Apologise for supporting Musharraf, Nawaz tells Chaudhrys
