Victories in Sargodha, Senate show revenge tactics can't deter PML-N, says Maryam Nawaz

FAISALABAD:  Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Maryam Nawaz on Thursday said that her party’s recent victories in Sargodha and Senate elections have shown that political parties can’t be defeated by “revenge tactics”, ARY News reported.

Addressing the party’s social media convention in Faisalabad, Maryam Nawaz said that both in Sargodha by-polls and Senate, PML-N candidates were not allowed to use their party’s name and electoral symbol, but they still managed beat opponents and emerge as victors.

“For the first time in the history, PML-N’s candidate in Sargodha was not allowed to contest elections using party’s electoral symbol (Lion) but he still managed to beat his rival candidate by over 20, 000 votes, those who took such decisions (of not allowing him to take Lion as his electoral symbol), forgot that none can beat people’s love for PML-N,” said Maryam Nawaz.

About Senate elections, she said that “detractors” toppled PML-N’s government in Balochistan, then barred party’s candidates from using its name and electoral symbol, but couldn’t change results.

Maryam Nawaz was of the view that his father (former PM Nawaz Sharif) was declared ineligible to hold public office for holding an “iqama” (work/resident permit) for the “detractors” could not find a single evidence of corruption against him or his family.

She maintained that Nawaz Sharif did the right thing by taking the disqualification verdict to people and letting them decide his fate.

“First they (the judges) used profanities against us, then deposed him (Nawaz Sharif), then declared him ineligible to head party (PML-N), do you accept these verdicts? won’t you avenge this insult to your vote in general elections?” asked Maryam Nawaz.

She criticised the apex court’s judges for what she called “use of profanities” while hearing cases against Nawaz Sharif and his family while urging the people to avenge these “insults” to their vote and collective wisdom by voting for PML-N in upcoming general elections.

It is pertinent to note here that on February 22, Supreme Court of Pakistan on ruled that a disqualified person cannot lead a political party. The decision was taken against 17 petitions challenging Nawaz Sharif’s position as PML-N head despite a July 2017 verdict declaring him ineligible to hold public office under Article 62, 63 of the Constitution of Pakistan.

The three-member bench of Supreme Court , headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Mian Saqib Nisar also declared that all decisions taken by Nawaz as PML-N’s president stand null and void after today’s judgement.

As a result, PML-N’s candidates for Senate polls couldn’t use party name and symbol as they were issued tickets by Nawaz Sharif. Similarly, party candidate for Sargodha by-polls was allocated another symbol to contest polls.