Upcoming polls will be referendum for new Pakistan, says Nawaz

• Deposed PM says it is only people’s prerogative to elect and reject prime ministers, tradition of overthrowing elected reps must end

• Claims he had told former US president Obama that drone attacks in Pakistan were not acceptable

JARANWALA: Ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif has said that the upcoming elections will prove to be a referendum for a new Pakistan.

Addressing a public rally here on Saturday, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) president said that the tradition of overthrowing elected representatives must end in the country.

“It is the people’s prerogative only to elect and reject prime minsters,” he said and asked the attendees if they will accept such an attempt made by only ‘five people’, in a reference to five-member bench of the Supreme Court that disqualified him to hold the public office.

“There is another petition in the court to get me removed from party presidency, but will you accept such a decision?” he inquired from the rally participants.

“Did you see the sea of empty chairs in Lahore rally?” said the former prime minister, referring to the dismal power show of the Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT)-led joint opposition at the Mall Road on Jan 17.

“There’s no comparison between this rally and the one on Mall Road,” he remarked.

Sharif also took a broadside at PAT chief Tahirul Qadri on a lighter note, saying he did not get scared by drone cameras hovering over his head unlike “Maulvi Tahirul Qadri” who got panicked by an electric spark at the Mall Road rally.

“These cowards are coming to contest us… they will be badly defeated in this year’s elections,” he added.

Alluding to the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Nawaz said his party will push its “political opponents hard” in 2018, so they are not seen again.

“Go and ask people of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP) about accomplishments of the provincial government there… what have they [Imran Khan-led Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf] given them other than false promises and incompetent governance,” he stated.

“I remember 1999 when we carried out nuclear test… the country was progressing and people were getting right opportunities for employment. Pakistan was becoming an economic power but Musharraf had put a stop to all that by overthrowing my government,” said Nawaz.

“Even this time around when we assumed power the country was facing multifaceted challenges including terrorism and economic woes. But through right decisions, we addressed those issues… before I was again ousted unlawfully.”

Referring to his movement for the supremacy of justice, Nawaz said, “I speak about the movement of justice today, which will ensure that a person will not have to deal with cases against their grandfather.”

The PML-N president also touched upon the reasons for his ouster, a recurring theme in his recent rallies.

“Is it a crime to not draw a salary from your son?” Nawaz questioned the attendees of the rally. “I was ousted because of this crime.”

“I came to the public’s court to get justice,” he said. “I see the same spirit here in Jaranwala that I saw when I got out to seek the public’s support on the Grand Trunk (GT) Road.”

He reminded the people that he had promised Jaranwala to construct a motorway.

“Raise your hands and tell me, did I not fulfill my promise?” he said. “Nawaz Sharif always fulfills his promises.”

Nawaz further stressed that he ended the power outages in the country during his tenure.

During his address, Nawaz also said that the country was faced with rampant terrorism and power outages when the PML-N government took charge in 2013.

“We made efforts to counter these challenges and were successful to a certain extent,” he said. “But today, Pakistan is being looked at with malicious intentions again.”

The PML-N president claimed that he had told former US president Barack Obama that drone attacks in Pakistan were not acceptable. “I told Obama that Pakistan is a sovereign state and drone attacks would not be tolerated, and do you not remember that during my tenure those attacks had stopped,” he said.

Nawaz reminded the public that they elected him as the prime minister and their vote’s sanctity should not be targetted.

“Nawaz Sharif loves you from the core of his heart, I love you too,” he responded to the chants of ‘I love you, Nawaz Sharif’.

When someone on the stage blocked his view of the audience, the PML-N chief said, “I am full of passion and energy today… don’t dare and come between me and the masses today.”

Lauding the efforts of Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Nawaz said that his younger brother had worked day and night to transform the province, which he added was evident now.

After the success of metro bus projects in Lahore, Rawalpindi and Multan, similar projects will also be launched in Faisalabad, Sialkot, Gujranwala and all other major towns of Punjab, said the former premier.

“Those who called it jangla bus are now themselves building it in Peshawar without any success.”

‘RISE UP AGAINST INJUSTICES’:

Maryam Nawaz took the stage prior to Nawaz’s address and implored the rally’s attendees to rise up against the injustices in Pakistan.

“Do you accept a Pakistan where the public’s vote has the lowest worth,” questioned Maryam.

“Are you willing to accept a Pakistan in which an elected prime minister attends court summons, along with his daughter, but dictators such as Musharraf pay no heed to the court,” she said.

Taking a jibe at Imran Khan, she asked the attendees if they were willing to accept a Pakistan where the judiciary was biased toward a ‘ladlaa’ (favourite).

“After God, the public’s court holds the most power,” she said, stressing that the public should support her “unjustly” ousted father in his journey for justice.

Maryam urged Jaranwala’s public to rise and punish the ‘conspiring pawns.’

“We will continue to fight the battle for the right of people,” she said.