Deposed prime minister and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif on Saturday claimed that some actors destroyed a Pakistan that was fast developing and ensured it got to this point. Such people need to be held accountable, he said.
Addressing the parliamentary board of the PML-N in Lahore on Saturday, Nawaz stated that some actors had sabotaged a Pakistan proceeding on the path of progress and that such actors need to be held accountable.
He added that the country had witnessed a difficult period over the past four years. As the prime minister in 2017, Nawaz asserted that the situation was quite good. The country was progressing. But that dream of progress was left incomplete, and some characters entered the frame, which caused progress to halt in Pakistan.
The deposed prime minister added that Pakistan faces back-breaking inflation solely because the economy was mismanaged.
He stated that the rot began in 2019. And by the time Shehbaz Sharif took the reins of the country in 2022, everything had deteriorated to a great extent.
He said that if Shehbaz Sharif had not taken control of the country, it would have gone bankrupt.
He added that he is still at a loss as to why the reins of a progressing country were snatched from a responsible and experienced government and handed over to an amateur.
We worked for the development of Pakistan, but every time, we were the ones who were pushed out of power, he lamented.
Nawaz argued that he has a right to know why he was twice forced out of power between 1993 and 1999. "Were we pushed out of power because we handled matters correctly and said that the Kargil war should not have happened?" he asked, adding that time proved they were right on both counts.
He asserted that we do not step backwards when it comes to national security. Despite intense international pressure, he said that his administration conducted atomic bomb tests and declared Pakistan a nuclear power, adding that they worked to improve governance in all facets, including economy, defence, and foreign affairs.
Pointing to how two prime ministers of India visited Pakistan during their tenure, Nawaz asked how it is possible that your neighbouring countries are upset with you and you attain a position in the global comity of nations.
Nawaz outlined that they must improve ties with all neighbours, including Iran, Afghanistan and India, while further strengthening ties with China.
He said there were attempts to sabotage the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) when I was not in power.
He said those who brought the country to the brink must be held accountable.