• Nawaz blames ex-military leadership, Saqib Nisar for Pakistan’s current state.
• “Today, the poor is craving for bread,” PML-N supremo says.
• Maryam hopes people will give historic welcome to Nawaz Sharif.

LAHORE: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif Monday asserted that the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) coalition government had prevented the country from defaulting, averting a situation where petrol could potentially have been priced at Rs1,000 per litre today.

His comments came during a consultative meeting of his party via video link from London during which he also emphasised that the PML-N has made a sincere sacrifice to rescue Pakistan from economic collapse and has borne the consequences for the nation’s sake, expressing confidence that his party would achieve success in the upcoming elections.

Furthermore, the PML-N supremo accused former army chief General (retd) Qamar Javed Bajwa, ex-Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) chief General (retd) Faiz Hamid, and former chief justice Mian Saqib Nisar of being responsible for the current state of affairs in the country.

Nawaz acknowledged that while some damages could be overcome in life, others remained insurmountable.

“Today, the poor is craving for bread. Who brought the country to this state,” the senior politician questioned, regretting how people were worried about putting two-time meals on their table.

He also recalled that in 2017, when he was in power, it was not the case. Then cheap flour, ghee and sugar were available, while the poor today were receiving heavy electricity bills and did not know how to pay them.

Meanwhile, PML-N Senior Vice President and Chief Organiser Maryam Nawaz said people would accord a historic welcome to Nawaz Sharif on October 21, and bury the ‘dramatists’ of Panama and Iqama forever.

The party’s Vice President Hamza Shehbaz, General Secretary Ahsan Iqbal, Punjab President Rana Sanaullah Khan, former members of the National and provincial assemblies from Punjab and ticket-holders, party officials of all divisions and districts also attended the meeting.

Maryam briefed the meeting about preparations regarding the return of the party supremo on Oct 21, 2023. A central facilitation control centre has also been set up at the party’s main secretariat to coordinate arrangements for Nawaz Sharif’s welcome, she announced.

The party’s chief organiser also shared details of the preparations and organisational cooperation at the constituency, ward, division, district and tehsil levels.

“Nawaz Sharif made Pakistan a nuclear country; but today it has been turned into a beggar country, which is a matter of shame for all concerned,” said Hamza, adding that people would secure the future of their children by making the PML-N supremo the prime minister of Pakistan again.

“Nawaz Sharif becoming the prime minister means reducing the scourge of inflation,” he added. The party leader also said people would welcome the former premier for the development and prosperity of the country.

Hamza maintained that the nation should ask the question of why inflation happened after Nawaz Sharif’s tenure. The PML-N supremo gave relief to people, then who brought miseries to them, he asked.

Meanwhile, former prime minister Shehbaz Sharif left London for Pakistan on Monday after spending a month there. He held multiple meetings with Nawaz Sharif during his stay in London.