In a virtual address to PML-N party officials in Punjab, former Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Monday claimed that his party, which led the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) government, had safeguarded Pakistan from an imminent default taking political risks. He expressed concern over Pakistan’s dire economic situation and lamented India’s economic progress, which he claimed was due to his government’s reforms, Dunya News reported.
Recalling his time as prime minister, Sharif said that when he took office in December 1990, India had emulated the economic reforms initiated by his government in Pakistan. He noted that India had achieved important milestones such as reaching the moon and hosting the G20 meetings, while Pakistan was facing the worst economic crisis in its history.
“Today India has landed on the moon, the G20 meeting is being held in India and Pakistan is begging countries around the world for a billion dollars,” Sharif said, highlighting the stark contrast between the economic trajectories of the two. nations.
Sharif calls for accountability amid Pakistan’s economic struggles
During his speech, Nawaz Sharif highlighted the importance of holding those responsible for Pakistan’s current economic difficulties accountable. He stated that the public should not forgive those he called guilty, including his political rivals in the PTI.
Sharif, who plans to return to Pakistan from his self-imposed exile in London next month, expressed concern over irreversible losses and claimed that without the PDM government’s intervention, the cost of petrol could have skyrocketed to Rs 1,000 per litre.
He also expressed empathy for the financial difficulties faced by the general population, citing rising food inflation, exorbitant utility bills and the cost of essential healthcare as major challenges.
The PML-N leader lamented the irony that during his tenure as prime minister, Pakistan became a nuclear power and yet he was subsequently deported, imprisoned and sentenced to 27 years on terrorism charges.
Sharif alleged that former army chief General (r) Qamar Javed Bajwa and Lieutenant General (r) Faiz Hameed, in collaboration with former Chief Justices Saqib Nisar and Asif Saeed Khosa, conspired to remove him from power. He also noted that he and other PML-N leaders, including Maryam Nawaz and Hamza Shehbaz, endured imprisonment and hardship without committing any crime.
Despite the challenges facing his party, Sharif stated that they were not interested in carrying out political vendettas against their opponents and stated that they harbored no desire for revenge.
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