Daily Times

PML-N vice president Maryam Nawaz on Monday reiterated that she will live in Pakistan and never request the government to remove her name from the exit control list (ECL).

Addressing a rally in Wazirabad as part of the election campaign for PP-51, the PML-N vice-president said she has a health condition which requires a surgery which cannot be performed in Pakistan but despite that, she has no intention to request the government to remove her name from the exit control list. “I don’t have to go anywhere from this country, my life and death are in this country,” she said. “Maryam Nawaz will not go abroad, you will have to go,” she said, referring to the government. “I do not wish to go anywhere, I want to live in Pakistan. Even if someone comes to my house and requests me to leave the country, I won’t,” she vowed.

Continuing her tirade against the government, Maryam said that the opposition alliance is silent but members of the ruling party were issuing statements one after the other. “Keeping the situation in mind, I fear the no-confidence movement will begin alongside the Senate elections,” she said.

Maryam Nawaz said people from all walks of life were struggling to survive due to the inflation caused by the government’s policies. She asked the crowd whether any of them had gotten a job from the 10 million jobs promised by the PTI government or a house from the 5m houses pledged by the government. She said the government had accused her of playing the “Punjabi card” after she raised her voice for the province, but said she would continue to speak for Punjab as well as other provinces being “the daughter of Pakistan”. “But when it comes to snatching Punjab’s bread and aata and rise in the price of Punjab’s sugar, Maryam will stand with Punjabis with her heart and soul,” she said.

Maryam, speaking in Urdu interspersed with Punjabi, said farmers, labourers, daily wage workers, traders and businessmen were all frustrated today and could not afford basic utilities and food items. Although things are broken, Maryam said, “Nawaz Sharif will come and everything will be fixed.”