'It's me today but it'll be others tomorrow,' PM warns opponents

Published July 19, 2017
"This is the first time I have reached four years of my tenure, let's see what happens next," Sharif said.
"This is the first time I have reached four years of my tenure, let's see what happens next," Sharif said.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, while addressing a political gathering in Sialkot on Wednesday, warned his opponents that today he was being held accountable, but tomorrow others will be made to walk the same path.

"I am not worried about my accountability because if I am being held accountable today, others will face accountability tomorrow," he said while addressing party workers.

He was hopeful that "the people" would silence his critics in the 2018 general elections.

"Feel free to hold me accountable but at least tell me what I am accused of. Tell me where I was involved in corruption," he asked.

"You are asking us to show the money trail from 1972, but the way you looted us and nationalised our businesses, it is you who should show the money trail for where that money was spent," the premier said.

"Is Nawaz Sharif involved in a corruption or a kickback case?" he asked his opponents and critics.

PM Sharif also said that he would have accepted former US president Bill Clinton's offer of Rs5 billion to not go ahead with nuclear blasts had he not cared for the people.

"Despite them attempting to pull us down, we have been successful in putting an end to load-shedding and terrorism and in building motorways," he said, adding that an unprecedented $56bn were being invested in the country.

"Pakistan has become an atomic power and now it is going to become an economic power," Sharif said. "Those asking for my resignation have been rejected by the nation multiple times"

Earlier in the day, the prime minister had complained that he had never been allowed to complete his tenure. "This is the first time I have reached four years of my tenure, let's see what happens next," Sharif had said while addressing the Sialkot Chamber of Commerce and Industry amid calls for his resignation by the opposition.

Opinion

Four hundred seats?

Four hundred seats?

The mix of divisive cultural politics and grow­th-oriented economics that feeds Hindu middle-class ambition and provides targeted welfare are key ingredients in the BJP’s political trajectory.

Editorial

Weathering the storm
Updated 29 Apr, 2024

Weathering the storm

Let 2024 be the year when we all proactively ensure that our communities are safeguarded and that the future is secure against the inevitable next storm.
Afghan repatriation
29 Apr, 2024

Afghan repatriation

COMPARED to the roughshod manner in which the caretaker set-up dealt with the issue, the elected government seems a...
Trying harder
29 Apr, 2024

Trying harder

IT is a relief that Pakistan managed to salvage some pride. Pakistan had taken the lead, then fell behind before...
Return to the helm
Updated 28 Apr, 2024

Return to the helm

With Nawaz Sharif as PML-N president, will we see more grievances being aired?
Unvaxxed & vulnerable
Updated 28 Apr, 2024

Unvaxxed & vulnerable

Even deadly mosquito-borne illnesses like dengue and malaria have vaccines, but they are virtually unheard of in Pakistan.
Gaza’s hell
Updated 28 Apr, 2024

Gaza’s hell

Perhaps Western ‘statesmen’ may moderate their policies if a significant percentage of voters punish them at the ballot box.