LAHORE: While declaring his party would accept the result of upcoming general elections, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday urged the people to draw a comparison between the performance of the PML-N government and that of Imran Khan-led regime while casting their votes.

The premier, who laid the foundation stone of development projects at Sharqpur in Sheikhupura and gave away laptops to students of Danish school in Lahore, indirectly invited the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) to sign a charter of economy so that whoever came to power after the elections economic progress went ahead unhindered.

“This chor and daku narrative has divided the nation. The division is extremely glaring. We will have to bury our differences and become one nation,” the premier said and stressed that political forces should not bring politics in the way of economic journey.

“I invite them to sign the charter of economy so that whosever comes to power economic policies remain the same and the country continues to progress. In other countries we see governments come and go, but no politics is done on economic issues. We should follow suit,” he said and asked the media to make it a talking point and bring the nation to one platform on this matter.

Says his party will accept outcome of polls, calls for signing charter of economy among all parties

Shehbaz Sharif has been a long-time advocate of signing a charter of economy among all political players, especially the PTI. However, Imran Khan has never showed interest in his proposal.

In his speeches on both occasions, the premier talked about the upcoming elections, stating that his party would accept its result. He said that whosoever is voted to power the country’s economic progress must not be hampered as Pakistan’s direction had been set.

“If we win I will lay the network of free distribution of merit-based laptops across the country and build more institutions like Danish schools,” he said and urged the people to draw a comparison of PML-N’s tenure (2013-18) with that of PTI’s 2018-22 while casting their votes in the polls.

The premier said that Mr Khan’s tenure was a “story of chaos and destruction” and added that had the PML-N been in power during that four years the country would have progressed immensely.

PM Shehbaz has already indicated that the National Assembly will be dissolved days before its tenure ending on Aug 12 paving a way for elections in 90 days in November.

Although ruling coalition partners have started consultations for evolving consensus on names for the caretaker set-up, reports suggest that the establishment want its say in the process and differences may crop up between them over the name of the interim premier.

In his address on Saturday, PM Shehbaz blamed Imran Khan for the problems facing the country.

“The whole opposition was sent to jail during the PTI government. The ‘thief narrative’ was injected into people’s minds. (Imran) Niazi had claimed that he would bring back $300 billion [stashed abroad] after coming to power. Where is this amount? Had Pakistan got this money we wouldn’t have begged the IMF for loan,” he taunted.

The PML-N president lashed out at Mr Khan for allegedly handing over Rs50bn to a property tycoon (in the Al-Qadir Trust case). “The National Crime Agency recovered Rs50bn (from the property tycoon) and handed it over to the government of Pakistan but the amount was given to the Supreme Court. If this amount was given to the government it would have been spent on mega projects like the one started in Sheikhupura today,” he said and added that a closed envelope was presented before the cabinet to get the approval of the amount (to be handed over to the property tycoon).

“What would happen if a deal regarding Kashmir or Pakistan’s nuclear weapons is done in the same manner,” he wondered.

The premier said that China, Saudi Arabia and the UAE stood with Pakistan like a rock during the tough economic times, especially for securing the IMF deal.

He said the IMF programme was signed as Pakistan needed it. “Had we not entered into the IMF programme we would have to reduce our imports. Had Pakistan defaulted I was to be blamed,” PM Shehbaz said, adding that “time has come whether we should live the life of a beggar or lead a respectable one.”

Published in Dawn, July 23rd, 2023