MINGORA: Ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif has claimed that the peace enjoyed by the country at present is due to the efforts of the PML-N government and bravery of Swati people which enabled the nation’s daughter Malala Yousafzai to return home.

Addressing a public gathering at the Kabal ground in Swat on Sunday, he called Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf chairman Imran Khan ‘Ilzam Khan’ and said the PTI was on the verge of permanent departure from Swat and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as Mr Khan had failed to deliver.

“I know that the government of Ilzam Khan did nothing as I see no change in Swat. PTI brought no change as no new school, college, university or hospital has been built over the past five years as its leaders only looted public money,” the former prime minister alleged.

He said that the PTI chief grabbed the money of Jahangir Tareen and people rightly called the latter as Imran Khan’s ATM. “He illegally used KP CM’s helicopter for his personal use for which he will be held accountable,” he said.

Maryam says casting vote for ‘bat’ amounts to voting for PPP as Imran and Zardari are ‘brothers’

Mr Sharif invited the people of Swat and KP to visit Punjab if they wanted to witness real development. He claimed that the development in Punjab would open their eyes. “I feel sorry for Imran Khan that he failed to serve KP public and only demonstrated the politics of sit-ins, allegations, and falsehood,” he said, and added that the government of PML-N would bring developmental changes in Swat and KP after being elected in the coming elections. “PML-N will change the fate of Swat and KP,” he claimed.

He said PML-N provincial president Amir Muqam would soon be in the KP government and would retrieve public money looted by the PTI.

“PML-N brought peace in the entire country by eliminating terrorism. We brought back the lights of Karachi and rehabilitated it,” he claimed.

He said that five people challenged the sanctity of the votes of millions of people and ousted an elected prime minister.

Maryam Nawaz also addressed the public gathering and asked people to vote for ‘lion’ and not for ‘bat’ as casting vote to ‘bat’ meant voting for the Pakistan Peoples Party as Imran and Zardari were brothers.

“They both are united for their personal gains as they do not endorse public agenda.”

She criticised the country’s institutions and said that it was the right of elected representatives and not of the institutions to rule the country because public voted to elect their representatives and not the institutions.

“Nobody can prove Rs10 corruption on Nawaz Sharif who is your true leader. Tomorrow your beloved leader is going to score his fifty of courts appearance but Musharraf who is a dictator and violator of the Constitution showed fist to the institutions and went abroad which shows dual system in the country,” she said.

She criticised the court decision of removal of Nawaz Sharif from premiership and said it was based on revenge. “We can’t respect a revengeful decision,” she said, adding that Nawaz Sharif was ousted from the premiership, from the leadership of PML-N, but his respect among public increased.

Earlier, Amir Muqam welcomed Nawaz Sharif and other PML-N leaders to Swat. He promised that people of Swat would elect PML-N where an era of true change would begin.

Retired Capt Mohammad Safdar, Senator Pervaiz Rasheed and local PML-N leaders were also present at the public meeting.

Published in Dawn, April 2nd, 2018