Daily Times

Maryam Nawaz Sharif is set to return to Pakistan today, January 28, after undergoing an arduous throat surgery in Geneva. Returning to Pakistan so soon after a physically exhausting surgery is just one of the many hardships this woman has faced for her country, and it is commendable how she always faces them with the utmost grace, dignity, and strength. Despite all the odds lined up against her, Maryam Nawaz has fought for this country, and Pakistan will always owe her a debt for her valour and determination to fight for her people.

Despite having to face legions of false allegations, lies, and brutality at the hands of the puppet regime that had been set up over Pakistan, she stood tall and managed to come out on top in the end. The cases were all proven to hold no merit in a court of law, and even though her whole family was targeted to erase their names from the political landscape, Maryam Nawaz stood firm in her resolve to serve the people of Pakistan. An interesting point to note here is that, despite the fact that Maryam’s name has been dragged in fabricated cases for many years, she did not have to face any of these obstacles. But she chose to do so, to stand up for her principles and the general public. She chose to valiantly fight against the shackles of oppression in her quest to give the public what they deserved. So what started as a daughter struggling to help her father turned into a lifelong struggle for the people of Pakistan, a struggle she chose, even though the odds were stacked against her.

The PML-N has always stood firm in its resolve to fight for a prosperous Pakistan, to ensure the well-being, security and dignity of its citizens, and to struggle against the forces that seek to take it from them. Despite being faced with several hurdles on numerous occasions, this resolve has not faltered, and it is unfortunate to see the citizens of Pakistan being played for fools by the agents of a fascist regime. Starting from the utterly baseless accusations associated with Dawn Leaks and Panama Leaks, which were all proven to be false, Maryam Nawaz has had to endure instances where her well-being was at stake, and yet she faced them with all the grace and elegance that one can only describe as extraordinary.

Maryam Nawaz has had to endure instances where her own well-being was at stake, and yet she faced them with all the grace and elegance that one can only term as extraordinary.

Similarly, she is yet again proved her mettle by remaining in Pakistan, despite having the means and choice to live a comfortable life elsewhere. She has chosen to stay and help steer the country to a prosperous future, and to deny her of that or accuse her of things that have only been perpetrated by agents of chaos is unjustified. Pakistan is currently on the verge of an economic meltdown, but the superb leadership and tactics of the government have been the only thing preventing a complete debt default. People are often quick to criticise, but at some point, we must ask ourselves, “Where would we be right now without these leaders?” PML-N was solely responsible for establishing ties with the IMF, an organization that has been vital to our economic growth, and CPEC, an initiative that was only possible after our enrollment in the IMF program. The IMF, though often criticised is extremely important if we are to avoid defaulting on our loans, loans that are necessary for economic stability,

Presently, if we look at the economic situation, Pakistan currently owes approximately $100 billion to various creditors and is required to repay $21 billion to foreign lenders during the current fiscal year. In the next three years, Pakistan will need to repay similar or larger amounts each year, totaling around $70 billion. In four years, the country will not have the resources to repay these loans and will need to continue borrowing from one creditor to pay off another. Unless Pakistan increases its exports and runs a current account surplus, the country will continue to slide further into debt. The only way to repay the debt is to increase exports and run a surplus, otherwise, the country will continue to find itself in a difficult financial situation. It is also vital that we generate as much revenue at home as possible, even if it is inconvenient for a while. And that is what the present government has been doing in a nutshell, trying its best to make sure that Pakistan does not default, even if that endangers its politics.

It is true that these efforts to generate revenue might be bitter pills to swallow, and might create resentment, therefore risking the party’s politics, but PML-N chooses instead to fight for the bigger picture, which is our country’s future, and Vice President Maryam Nawaz is a vital instrument for that. We had to make tough choices and decisions to save our economy and prevent a default after an incompetent ruler had left it in shambles. It is the result of his completely ineffective decisions that the economy is where it is today, and we had to step into government to save it. The tough choices that we had to make led us to suffer losses in the polls, but we continued to take these decisions with the sole goal of preventing Pakistan from defaulting and saving it from a complete meltdown, and although it might be a bitter pill right now, these efforts will soon pay off, and the people of Pakistan will see economic stability, through strategic long-term planning, unlike what was being done before we came into government.

Setting fuel prices low on a whim and devaluing the currency in a bid to provide short-term relief, as was done by the utterly incompetent previous leaders, was a disservice to Pakistan in the long run, but we are going to undo all of that while providing a concrete long-term solution. The PML-N has had to suffer various blows to its politics as a result of these measures, but we are firm in our belief that these will produce results that every Pakistani wants. Soon, Maryam Nawaz Sharif will return to Pakistan and lead the party as a united force, with her brother, Hamza Shahbaz, who will also soon arrive back in Pakistan.

The rumours of there being a rift between the iconic brother-sister duo are yet again an attempt to stir up confusion, but we are confident in their bond and commitment to the cause of the party. They will return and make sure the core message of Mian Nawaz Sharif reaches the general public in Pakistan, and they will play an active role in strengthening the party. We have always been united under the flag of Mian Nawaz Sharif and will continue to be so as these brave lions steer Pakistan towards success and continue to fight for true democracy in the country.

The writer is a former PML-N legislator.