ISLAMABAD: With only two days left in general elections, former pri­me minister Nawaz Sharif after a decade arrived in Murree to address an election gathering in which he promised a number of development projects, including a motorway and railways track.

Speaking to the gathering at the GPO Chowk, the PML-N supreme leader said Murree is his second home and he had been visiting the hill station since 1956 when he came to the city for the first time at the age of 6.

Mr Sharif said he had spent more time in Murree than in Lahore and added that he had an immense love for the people of Murree. “I love you more than you love me,” Mr Sharif told the participants.

He recounted the achie­v­ements of his government and said the PML-N ended load-shedding, decreased power tariffs, and provided cheap essentials by reining in inflation during its tenure. He claimed that with his ouster, the journey of development had come to a halt.

The elder Sharif said a judge who had disqualified him from parliament had resigned from the Supreme Court only eight months before he was all set to become the chief justice of the country. Mr Sharif claimed there was something fishy about the judge that was why he stepped down.

He added that he had been barred from contesting elections but “here I am” at this election rally.

‘Imran’s broken promises’

He also took potshots at his chief rival Imran Khan, saying the former premier had promised 10 million jobs, but those employment promises never materialised.

He also criticised the PTI leader for allegedly lying about the billion tree tsunami project and wasting money on this scheme. Similarly, he also called out Imran Khan for his failure to build the millions of houses he had promised.

Flanked by young Usama Ashfaq who is contesting polls from NA-51, Mr Sharif said the youth of the country was standing with the PML-N. “Imran Khan says that the youth is with him, but look at this, the youth is standing with me,” he said in a lighter vein, referring to Usama.

Mr Sharif said people of the area had asked him to build a school, hospital, and a university in the area, as well as roads.

He, however, said he had plans to build a motorway that would encircle the hill station as well as lay a railway track from Rawalpindi to Murree, which will be extended to Azad Jammu Kashmir’s capital Muzaffarabad.

He said on the eve of the Kashmir Solidarity Day, he and his party stood by the Kashmiris.

Before he asked Maryam Nawaz Sharif to address the gathering, the former premier said this was the first time that a large number of women had attended his gathering and also thanked them for their support.

He urged the voters to vote responsibly as their decision can alter the destiny of coming generations. He told them to stamp the ‘tiger’ on Feb 8 and become part of development and progress.

Ms Sharif, the PML-N chief organiser, said that PML-N was the symbol of development and it would work hard to improve the living standards of the masses. “We promise development in Murree if the city chooses ‘tiger’,” she said.

Published in Dawn, February 6th, 2024

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