Daily Times

PML-N President and leader of the opposition in National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday said that the defence and economy are equally important for Pakistan. He was speaking to PML-N leaders through video link in an event organized to mark the anniversary of Youm-e-Takbeer at party’s secretariat in Model Town on Thursday. Although Shehbaz wasn’t far away from the site of main event but he preferred to speak through video link due to looming threat of COVID-19. The main event was physically attended by entire leadership of PML-N including former Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Ahsan Iqbal, Rana Sanaullah, Pervaiz Rasheed, Kh Saad Rafique, Maryam Aurangzeb, Senator Abdul Qayyum, former Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq and a large number of party’s MNAs and MPAs at Model Town.

Speaking on the occasion, Shehbaz Sharif said that we all have to come forward to improve the economy that is not in a good condition these days. He was of the view that we have to become an Economic Power the way Pakistan became an Atomic Power in the leadership of Nawaz Sharif. According to Shehbaz, we don’t want to do politics in these days but facts and figures are narrating the whole story as the GDP was at 5.8 when PML-N left the government but the GDP is now at 1.9 that is alarming for our economy. He further added that the unemployment is at its peak in Pakistan while the locust attack has also created havoc in South Punjab and parts of Balochistan but there is no one in the government to do something for the poor farmers. Lauding his brother and party’s supreme leader, the opposition leader said that Nawaz Sharif made Pakistan an invincible force by allowing the tests of atomic bombs at Chaghi on May 28, 1998. Nawaz Sharif also refused hefty economic package offered by other countries and preferred to go for atomic tests, he said. “Let’s work together under the leadership of Nawaz Sharif by setting aside all the differences to make Pakistan a prosperous country,” Shehbaz said.

Speaking on the occasion, former premier Shahid Khaqan Abbasi said that such bold decisions can only be made by the democratic governments as dictatorships don’t have same courage for such major decisions. Abbasi said that severe pressure came from US, UK and France not to go for atomic tests but Nawaz Sharif ignored all the phone calls of the big powers and preferred to go for it. On the other hand, a dictator followed the phone call of just 1.45 minutes of a US minister and Pakistan is still facing the consequences of following the directions of US. He was of the view that a strong economy is a guarantor of strong defence. If economy weakens, then our defence will be weakened, he said. The former PM further added that the whole nation wants an answer from the incumbent government that how the economy decreased by four percent in just one year. “Only the party of Nawaz Sharif has the ability to run the economic affairs of the country,” Abbasi said.

Four resolutions presented by Maryam Aurangzeb were also passed during the event. The first resolution was meant to pay tribute to Nawaz Sharif for making Pakistan invincible through atomic tests. The second resolution was passed in which the PML-N showed confidence over the leadership of incumbent President Shehbaz Sharif. A thorough investigation was demanded for the PIA plane crash incident in third resolution while the detention of Punjab’s opposition leaders Hamza Shehbaz was condemned in last resolution. Senior leaders including Ahsan Iqbal, Rana Sanaullah, Kh Saad Rafique and Sardar Ayaz Sadiq also spoke on the occasion.