PM Shehbaz to relinquish party position upon Nawaz’s return
• Shehbaz Sharif elected PML-N president for four more years
• Says those criticising Dar ‘have no place in party’
ISLAMABAD: After being re-elected president of the PML-N for four years, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Friday the party post was temporary and would be given back to Nawaz Sharif upon his return to the country.
“Nawaz Sharif will return from abroad to lead the country to progress and prosperity after becoming prime minister for the fourth time,” he said while speaking on the occasion of intra-party elections held during a general council meeting of the PML-N at the party’s secretariat.
The general council was jointly chaired by PML-N supreme leader Nawaz Sharif (online) and Shehbaz Sharif.
Maryam Nawaz was elected senior vice president and chief organiser, Ahsan Iqbal general secretary and Attaullah Tarar his deputy, and Marriyum Aurangzeb information secretary. Ishaq Dar was elected president of overseas and international affairs.
According to sources in the Election Commission of Pakistan, the PML-N intra-party polls were due on March 22 last year, but the ECP extended the date at the party’s request and allowed it to hold polls latest by May 14, 2022, and submit the related certificate by May 21 to meet the legal requirement to be eligible to obtain or retain a poll symbol, something the party failed to do even after passage of over a year.
Speaking on the occasion, PM Shehbaz said he had intentionally delayed the meeting of PML-N general council and intra-party polls as he was waiting for his elder brother Nawaz Sharif’s return to the country so that the latter could take charge of the party again.
He said Nawaz Sharif was the builder of modern Pakistan and during his tenure as prime minister he eliminated energy shortages, laid down a network of roads, built infrastructure and developed agriculture, industry and other vital sectors of the economy.
The PM said Finance Minister Ishaq Dar was working hard to steer the country’s economy out of the present difficulties. “Those who were unduly criticising Ishaq Dar have no place in the party,” he said without naming anyone in the party.
The prime minister said the government met all the conditions of the International Monetary Fund for meeting financial needs of the country.
He reminded that the PML-N spent its political capital for the sake of the state at a time when inflation was high and commodity prices skyrocketed.
Despite difficult economic conditions, the common man was given relief in the budget and salaries were raised by 35 per cent and pensions by 17pc, he noted, adding that the nation was brave and would emerge stronger from the current challenges.
He said his government signed an agreement with Azerbaijan to import gas and bought oil from Russia.
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