PML-N will ‘bury PTI politically’ in 2023 elections, says Shehbaz

Published September 26, 2021
PML-N president Shehbaz Sharif addresses party workers convention in Rawalpindi on Sunday. — DawnNewsTV
PML-N president Shehbaz Sharif addresses party workers convention in Rawalpindi on Sunday. — DawnNewsTV

PML-N president Shehbaz Sharif said on Sunday that his party will bury Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) politically in the next general elections, while stressing upon national institutions to ensure "fair and transparent" polls in 2023.

"It's our right that the 2023 elections be held in a transparent manner and institutions like the Supreme Court and the Election Commission of Pakistan ensure polls are held fairly," he told a workers' convention in Rawalpindi.

He also highlighted that the recent cantonment board elections were transparent, saying "nobody intervened in those polls".

In the cantonment board elections on Sep 13, PTI had secured 60 seats while the PML-N nabbed 57, with independent candidates claiming 43 seats.

The PML-N leader said every segment of the country had seen "destruction" caused by a "selected regime" in the last three and a half years, adding that "the development initiatives taken by the PML-N have been reversed" by the incumbent government.

Lashing out at the government over rising inflation, he lamented that the prices of basic commodities were skyrocketing and "the prime minister is still asking people not to worry".

"The burgeoning inflation level in the country now demands widespread public demonstrations and I urge everyone to take to the streets against this menace," he said.

Shehbaz claimed his party would have fulfilled all its promises listed in the 2018 election manifesto had it been in power.

"Get ready, it's time to launch a movement against the government, defeat it politically and make Pakistan great," he said, while giving a clarion call to workers.

He reiterated his stance in a tweet later in the day saying the masses "have had enough of sloganeering, corruption & incompetence that has pushed them backwards by decades".

"PML-N's success in cantonment elections in Punjab is beginning of PTI's political meltdown," he added.

Earlier, he felicitated party workers over the PML-N's victory in the cantonment board elections in parts of Punjab.

Opinion

Editorial

Holding the line
16 Mar, 2026

Holding the line

PAKISTAN’S long battle against polio has recently produced encouraging signs. Data from the national eradication...
Power self-reliance
Updated 16 Mar, 2026

Power self-reliance

PAKISTAN’S transition to domestic sources of electricity is a welcome development for a country that has long been...
Looking for safety
16 Mar, 2026

Looking for safety

AS the Middle East conflict enters its third week, the war’s most enduring victims are not those who wage it....
Battling hate
Updated 15 Mar, 2026

Battling hate

In the current scenario, geopolitical conflict, racial prejudice and religious bigotry all contribute to the threats Muslims face.
TB drugs shortage
15 Mar, 2026

TB drugs shortage

‘CRIMINAL negligence’ is the phrase that jumps to mind when one considers the disturbing consequences of the...
Chinese diplomacy
Updated 14 Mar, 2026

Chinese diplomacy

THERE are signs that China is taking a more active role in trying to resolve the issue of cross-border terrorism...