‘PML-N ready to sweep upcoming polls’: Maryam Nawaz kicks off political campaign

BAHAWALPUR: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Senior Vice President Maryam Nawaz has kicked off political campaign, saying that her party was ready to sweep the upcoming elections in the country, ARY News reported on Wednesday.

Addressing a workers’ convention in Bahawalpur, the PML-N vice president lambasted the ‘critics’ claiming that her party was ‘running away’ from the elections, saying that they were ready to sweep the upcoming polls in the country.

Maryam Nawaz also expressed grief over the suicide attack at a mosque in Peshawar’s Police Lines area – that claimed lives of over 100 people – and prayed for the lost lives and a peaceful Pakistan.

Criticising the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) for ‘holding negotiations’ with terrorists, she said that Imran Khan was in power in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) for the last 10 years and did noting to increase capacity of the provincial police.

“Police in KP have nothing to protect themselves because you [Imran Khan] kept the provincial government only to cover the expenses for helicopter rides,” she added.

Maryam Nawaz further said that when Imran was the prime minister, eight meetings on counter-terrorism were held in the parliament but he did not even attend one.

The PML-N leader further said that the PTI Chairman has a habit of hurling accusations as “he earlier blamed the United States (US) for his ouster and is now blaming Caretaker Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Mohsin Naqvi”.

She further criticised the former premier to sign an agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), saying that when Imran Khan realized he was about to lose power, he tore up the agreement to lay an economic minefield for the incoming government.

Maryam blamed the hike in petrol and diesel prices on the agreement with IMF which Imran Khan signed. “Nawaz and Shehbaz saved Pakistan from becoming another Sri Lanka. I know that there is inflation in the country and Nawaz Sharif is worried about it too,” she added.

She added that former prime minister Nawaz Sharif was not saddened that he lost power but he is sad because the gains Pakistan made inch by inch during his tenure were lost due to the “gang of five”.

It is pertinent to mention here Maryam Nawaz returned to Pakistan on January 28 to begin the “reorganisation of the party” ahead of polls in Punjab.

Speaking to jubilant party workers outside Lahore airport, Maryam said that her father would return to the country soon.

Maryam further said that she and her father Nawaz Sharif were well aware of the inflation and promised that her party would steer the country out of economic woes.