LAHORE (APP): Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President and former Prime Minister, Shehbaz Sharif, delivered a significant address to traders here on Thursday, highlighting the crucial importance of both economic and political stability for Pakistan’s prosperity.
He discussed the nation’s journey towards stability and development while referencing historic milestones.
Shehbaz Sharif began by emphasizing the pivotal role of a stable economy in driving Pakistan’s progress. He stressed that achieving economic stability is intricately linked with political stability, making both factors of paramount significance.
October 12 marks a significant date in Pakistan’s history, as Shehbaz Sharif pointed out. On this day in 1999, the government of Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif was overthrown through a martial law. He recalled the time when Pakistan achieved nuclear power status on May 28, 1998, and Indian Prime Minister Attal Bihari Vajpayee’s visit to Pakistan on February 20, 1999.
During Vajpayee’s visit, the desire to resolve the Kashmir issue on fair grounds was expressed. However, history witnessed the government’s overthrow on October 12, 1999, and the Lahore Declaration on Kashmir was labeled as a ‘sell-out of Kashmir’ by the then government.
Shehbaz Sharif praised the achievements during Nawaz Sharif’s third term in power, acknowledging the challenges faced, such as 20-hour power outages. Despite these hurdles, significant projects like the Lahore Metro and the Orange Line train were completed. The latter project faced legal challenges from PTI, leading to a three-year delay, he said.
He reminisced about the time when Nawaz Sharif’s leadership ended in 2018 and how Pakistan faced economic challenges, inflation, and darkness. “ I took up the position of Prime Minister in a coalition government, guided by the goal of saving the state, even if it meant sacrificing politics,” he said and emphasized that saving the state was their priority.
He said that during this tenure, Pakistan faced severe challenges, including a major flood. Despite the odds, the coalition government served the nation. Inflation was another issue that needed addressing, and subsidies were provided, such as Rs 7 billion in Ramadan for affordable flour throughout Punjab, he added.
Shehbaz Sharif asserted that the prosperity of shopkeepers is essential for Pakistan’s prosperity. He said that when commerce thrives, the nation thrives and achieving economic stability is a prerequisite for the country’s progress and prosperity.
He said that to achieve economic development, political stability is indispensable. Eradicating poverty, unemployment, and inflation necessitates promoting love and unity within the nation, he said. To honor the sacrifices of Pakistan’s martyrs and lead the nation towards self-sufficiency, unity is crucial, he added.
He called on the audience to stand with Nawaz Sharif if they genuinely desire progress, prosperity, economic justice, and the end of poverty and unemployment in Pakistan. Under Nawaz Sharif’s leadership, Pakistan’s journey towards progress and prosperity will recommence from where it was disrupted in 2018, he added. On October 21, Nawaz Sharif will be welcomed in Lahore as Pakistan continues its journey towards a brighter future, he concluded.
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