LAHORE: The senior vice president of Pakistan Muslim League (N) has said that his party is not afraid of elections and will win majority seats when elections are held in Punjab.
Maryam, who was appointed the chief organizer of the party earlier this month, landed at the Allama Iqbal International Airport from Abu Dhabi at 3.30 pm after her flight was slightly delayed.
After being acquitted in the Avenfield reference case, the daughter of PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif was in London to spend time with her father since October.
Sea of people eagerly waiting to welcome Maryam Nawaz Sharif.#خوش_آمدید_امید_سحر pic.twitter.com/iTtT12xhzL
— PML(N) (@pmln_org) January 28, 2023
Amid tight security to avoid any untoward incident, party workers in the provincial capital have set up camps near the airport to welcome Maryam, which was also attended by senior leaders.
PML-N leader Nawaz Sharif has asked Maryam Nawaz to lead rallies and meetings with Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah before the upcoming elections in Punjab. The newly appointed chief organizer has also been tasked with “restructuring” the party setup.
Addressing PML-N workers in Lahore, the senior party leader reiterated that Nawaz Sharif would soon join them – a subject that has been widely speculated about.
چیف آرگنائزر مسلم لیگ ن مریم نواز لاہور میں جلسے سے خطاب کر رہی ہیں https://t.co/RT113nthJ5
— PML(N) (@pmln_org) January 28, 2023
These [establishment] people repeatedly expelled Nawaz from the government. You brought him to power three times but these people overthrew his governments.
The PML-N leader termed Sharif’s ouster on July 28, 2017 in the Panama Leaks case as a “national tragedy”, adding that Pakistan has not recovered since then.
Maryam vowed that she will not rest until her party changes the destiny of the nation and pulls the country out of the ongoing crisis both economically and politically.
“All those who conspired against Nawaz will have to pay for their actions,” said the PML-N senior vice-president, who will now lead the party’s efforts ahead of the provincial elections.
Maryam thanked Nawaz Sharif, PML-N President and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and party workers for showing confidence in their leadership and entrusting them with new responsibilities.
Strategy and party alliances
Taking a jibe at Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan, he said he was “crying” after dissolving his governments in the two provinces.
Maryam hoped that her party would win the next election with a huge majority and that Khan would “cry for the rest of his life.”
Talking about her election strategy, the PML-N leader said that she will visit every district of Punjab from February 1.
Preference will be given to those who demonstrate loyalty to the party while talking to journalists and tickets will be issued on merit. The PML-N leader said that she wants to reorganize and strengthen the party structure.
Maryam Nawaz said that PML-N is united but there may be differences at the local level which are common in every political party.
He said that PML-N Senior Vice President Shahid Khaqan Abbasi’s loyalty to the party is three decades old and his loyalty cannot be questioned.
He added that the party is like a house and should be united. There should be no personal agenda in the party.
‘Faith on the rope’
Addressing the party workers, the PML-N Vice President appreciated the efforts of Finance Minister Ishaq Dar to put the country on the path of economic development and prosperity.
Expressing her confidence in Dar, Maryam said that she was doing everything possible to overcome the crisis, adding that the finance czar had brought Pakistan’s economy out of crisis several times.
“It will take some time to fix the problems left behind by the previous PTI government,” he said, adding: “Have faith in Ishaq Dar [and] God. We will get the economy out of this [quagmire]. Will take out.
The statement comes at a time when Finman Dar is facing severe criticism from stakeholders across the board for stalling the International Monetary Fund (IMF) programme, which has led to a decline in foreign exchange reserves. There was a sharp fall, and the rupee depreciated sharply.
Flight delay
Maryam’s flight PK264 was delayed due to a medical emergency. The flight was scheduled to depart for Pakistan at 11am Emirates local time, but was delayed after a passenger on board complained of heart pain.
On the complaint, the medical team reached the plane and conducted a medical examination of the passenger. The passenger was offloaded and taken to the hospital for further medical attention.
The flight left Abu Dhabi for Lahore at 12:54 PM after an hour delay.
