[VIDEOS] Nawaz Sharif homecoming - the prodigal son returns

[BouncerGuy]

Mujay kyuun nikala is still going on.

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Nawaz still bitter about 2017 ouster

Despite his party forming the government in the Centre, PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif on Tuesday once again expressed his discontent over his 2017 ouster, a move he believes not only undermined his party but also significantly deterred the country’s progress.

The three-time prime minister has gone into low profile after his party failed to secure a majority in last month’s general elections. However, he has recently been seen chairing Punjab government meetings and issuing directions to bureaucrats and ministers.

Mr Nawaz returned to Pakistan in October after ending a four-year self-exile in the UK. His party ran an elaborate election campaign, making him the most favourite candidate for prime minister. However, when his party failed to achieve the desired results, his brother Shehbaz Sharif was made the prime minister of a six-party coalition government.

“Had my government not been sent home in 2017, Pakistan would have progressed in leaps and bounds,” Mr Nawaz told MNAs and MPAs from the Faisalabad division at a gathering in Lahore on Tuesday. Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz was also present at the meeting.

Referring to former army chief Qamar Javed Bajwa and PTI founding chairman Imran Khan, Nawaz Sharif said that those who ousted him and seized power did wrong to Pakistan.

“Everyone has seen what the illegal invaders have done to this country. … Although it will be a difficult year or two, the time of relief will surely come. Together, we will bring Pakistan back to its place,” Mr Nawaz said.

He said the entire country, including politicians, administration and police, had to work hard to pull the country out of difficult times.

Earlier, Mr Nawaz vowed to bring to justice those former generals and judges who toppled his government “illegally.”

His close aide and incumbent defence minister, Khawaja Asif, recently said the parliament should summon Mr Bajwa, former ISI chief Faiz Hameed and Imran Khan and question them for their alleged role in toppling the Mr Nawaz’s government in 2017 and causing economic problems for the country.

However, some PML-N lawmakers, including Hanif Abbasi of the ‘Shehbaz camp’, targeted Mr Asif for his “uncalled-for demand”.

During the meeting, the Punjab chief minister discussed development schemes in Faisalabad, stressing that laws were being introduced to ensure the safety of workers and that they would be implemented in their true spirit.

Ms Sharif said besides Metro buses, 100 speedo buses were also being brought to Faisalabad.

She said the city was also being included in the project to construct 100,000 housing units for people with low incomes.

SOURCE: DAWN

 

[BouncerGuy]

Despite flak, Nawaz chairs another government meeting

PML-N supreme leader Nawaz Sharif continues to chair administrative meetings alongside his daughter, Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, despite criticism.

On Monday, Mr Sharif co-chaired a meeting to review issues faced by the province’s agriculture sector.

Since the Feb 8 general elections, the PML-N supreme leader has generally kept a low profile. However, in the few public appearances since, he has been seen chairing or co-chairing with his daughter administrative meetings of the Punjab government.

This has led to questions, as Mr Sharif holds no official position in either the provincial or federal government and is officially only a member of the National Assembly.

Addressing the meeting on Monday, the PML-N supreme leader said the lack of availability of quality seeds even after decades is “a matter of grave concern”.

He called for “effective steps” to save 37 million acres feet (MAF) of water from being wasted during agricultural activities in the province.

He emphasised the need to use modern irrigation methods to save water. The meeting was told that 1.7 MAF of water could be saved by paving 7,300 water courses across Punjab.

The meeting also discussed necessary measures to increase the rate of farm mechanisation from 35 to 60 per cent in Punjab.

It also discussed the disbursement of Rs150bn loan to farmers for Rabi and Kharif crops. Mr Sharif issued directions to formulate simple eligibility criteria for the farmers to secure loans.

CM Maryam also approved a research endowment fund worth Rs500m in the Ayub Agricultural Research Institute in Faisalabad. The meeting also decided to amend the Fertiliser and Pesticide Act.

Provincial ministers Marriyum Aurangzeb, Azma Zahid Bukhari and Ashiq Hussain Kirmani; PML-N leader Pervaiz Rashid and other officials attended the meeting.

Separately on Monday, CM Maryam chaired a joint meeting of the parliamentary parties of PML-N, PPP and PML-Q to discuss the strategy for Senate elections.

PPP parliamentary party leader Ali Haider Gilani assured the CM of his party’s support for PML-N candidates Bushra Butt and Anusha Rahman, who are contesting on women’s seats.

SOURC: DAWN

 

[BouncerGuy]

NAB gives Nawaz clean chit in Toshakhana vehicle reference

The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on Wednesday gave a clean chit to former prime minister Nawaz Sharif in the Toshakhana vehicle reference.

The Toshakhana is a government department that stores gifts given to rulers, parliamentarians, bureaucrats and officials by heads of other governments, states, and foreign dignitaries.

According to the case filed by NAB, then-prime minister Yousaf Raza Gilani, in order to extend illegal benefits to Nawaz and then-president Asif Ali Zardari, allegedly allowed the retention of vehicles gifted to them by different foreign states and dignitaries by relaxing procedures related to the submission of gifts in the Toshakhana.

The accused, “through dishonest and illegal means for their personal benefit and interest”, retained the vehicles in question “against a nominal payment of 15 per cent of the total value”, the reference stated.

In June 2020, an accountability court had issued non-bailable arrest warrants for the PML-N supremo, who had skipped hearings because he had begun his self-imposed exile in London. Months later, Nawaz had challenged the warrants in the Islamabad High Court but withdrew the petition days later.

On Sept 10, 2020, the ex-premier was declared a proclaimed offender in the case, with an accountability court initiating the process to confiscate his properties and directing the accountability watchdog to make his arrest through Interpol.

Ahead of his return to Pakistan in October last year, an accountability court had suspended the perpetual arrest warrants issued in 2020 for the ex-premier in the case. The PML-N supremo was granted bail days later.

In November, the NAB informed a Lahore accountability court that it had recorded Nawaz’s statement in the reference.

Last month, after he was elected as the president, Zardari’s lead counsel Farooq H. Naek told Dawn that the president, who had filed for immunity in two other graft cases, also intended to extend the claim to two other cases, including the Toshakhana reference.

Today, the NAB submitted a report to an Islamabad accountability court following its orders to have Nawaz join the investigation.

According to the report, a copy of which is available with Dawn.com, the vehicle concerned was gifted to then-PM Nawaz by the government of Saudi Arabia in 1997 and was submitted in the Toshakhana.

It added that later, the car was included in the federal transport pool. In 2008, then-premier Gilani had offered Nawaz to buy the car, at which the latter did so from the federal transport pool and not the Toshakhana, the NAB report said.

“This case may attract any other offence but it has no relevancy with the benefit of Toshakhana as the subject vehicle when purchased was not part of Toshakhana, rather than the same was part of the federal transport pool,” it said.

It stated that Nawaz had not made the payment for the vehicle from a fake bank account, reiterating that the car was not a part of the Toshakhana valuables when Nawaz bought it.

Subsequently, the NAB urged the accountability court to acquit or discharge the former premier from the reference.

SOURCE: DAWN

 

[hassan918]

Nawaz Sharif to 'undergo health checkup' in China​

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif will embark on a five-day “personal visit” to China on Monday, sources told Geo News.

According to sources within the party, Nawaz’s visit is of a personal nature during which he will undergo a medical checkup.

The sources revealed that the former premier would also hold meetings related to the development works of Punjab.

The former premier, the sources shared, is also scheduled to meet the owners of Chinese companies.

No more details are available regarding the visit of PML-N leaders.

This will be the first international visit of Nawaz Sharif since he came back to Pakistan in 2023 after ending four years of self-imposed exile in London.

The PML-N leader was allowed by the Lahore High Court in November 2019 to go abroad on health grounds after his medical reports revealed that he needed urgent treatment.

The LHC granted him permission for medical treatment after which he proceeded to the UK and stayed in London.

Source: GEO

 

[Cricket Warrior]

Nawaz Sharif set to lead PML-N again

Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif is set take the reins of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz once again, former interior minister Rana Sanaullah announced on Friday.

His declaration followed a crucial meeting of the PML-N Punjab chapter where party members and office-bearers unanimously passed a resolution to make Nawaz Sharif the president of the PML-N.

“Mian Nawaz Sharif ceased to be the president of the PML-N as the result of a controversial judicial order. All obstacles of suppression are over and he stands vindicated. The PML-N will move forward under his leadership,” Sanaullah asserted during a media interaction.

“Mian Nawaz Sharif has been requested to reassume the charge of the PML-N.”

Sanaullah said that the former prime minister had been forcibly separated from the party in 2017.

He said that while [incumbent PML-N president] Shehbaz Sharif was attempting to rescue the country from economic crises day and night, Nawaz Sharif assuming the leadership role within the party would help overcome shortcomings and weaknesses.

Sanaullah, who was flanked by party leaders Javed Latif and Khurram Dastgir, said that the PML-N was a democratic and political party, adding that “there’s no hindrance in expressing opinions within the PML-N”.

He further said that the PML-N would present its political manifesto to the people of Pakistan in next few weeks.

Sanaullah remarked that a leader's position was one of dignity and respect, and the operational leadership in the PML-N belongs to the president.

Sanaullah said that Shehbaz Sharif carried out every task with Nawaz Sharif's permission.

He mentioned that Maryam Nawaz was making efforts to win the hearts of the people of Punjab.

Nawaz Sharif set to lead PML-N again

Nawaz Sharif set to lead PML-N again

dunyanews.tv

 

[BouncerGuy]

Nawaz steps in to address wheat crisis

As the wheat procurement crisis plagues Punjab and drives farmers to protest, PML-N leader Nawaz Sharif on Friday stepped forward to address the escalating situation.

According to a well-placed party source, who is also part of the provincial cabinet, Nawaz presided over a high-level meeting which also decided to request Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to join discussions at the next session to brief the party on the issue.

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz also participated in the meeting where the resolution of the crisis and the formulation of the Kissan Package were decided upon.

A party source, speaking strictly on the condition of anonymity, revealed that the Punjab government was diligently addressing the wheat procurement crisis. However, he pointed out that the task was complicated by fiscal constraints and that the matter was not as simple as many in the media have led the public to believe.

The source stressed that recognising the sensitivity of the matter, the party's highest leadership has also formally intervened to weigh in on the matter and aid the government in finding a farmer-friendly solution. He assured that the party and its government will not abandon their farmers, urging people to take comfort in that assurance.

He stated that the government was crafting a ‘Kissan Package’ to relieve the financial burden on the farmers.

Elaborating further, he mentioned that this would be a multifaceted package incorporating substantial subsidies.

However, he clarified that as the chief minister would personally announce the details in the coming days, he could not divulge any specifics at this time.

He further disclosed that for the upcoming meeting, the party's supreme leader has requested PM Shehbaz Sharif to brief the party on the origins of this crisis and the government's efforts to tackle it at the central level.

When asked if Punjab was seeking assistance from the central government in this matter, the source stated that he was not aware of any such plan.

The meeting reportedly was attended by senior party leaders including former CM Punjab Hamza Shehbaz and advisor to PM Rana Sanaullah.

When questioned about the absence of an official press release regarding the meeting, the source claimed to be unaware of the reason behind keeping the meeting undisclosed. However, he did note that previous meetings chaired by Nawaz Sharif had faced criticism in the media.

When questioned about PML-N's seemingly contradictory stance of criticising PTI for its anti-establishment rhetoric and questioning the legitimacy of the 2024 elections, while simultaneously attempting to reconcile with JUI-F for making similar allegations, the source responded that PML-N cannot afford to engage in conflicts on all fronts at the same.

He stated that the party's strategy aimed to prevent the unity of all opposition forces, hence extending an olive branch to former ally JUI-F while criticising our archenemy PTI. He referred to this approach as a "divide and rule" policy.

When questioned whether this was a PML-N strategy to keep its options open, potentially enabling it to play the victim card if relations sour with Rawalpindi, the source stated that he was not in a position to answer the question.

It's pertinent to note that the PML-N government, both in Punjab and at the centre, faced severe criticism for forming committees instead of taking immediate action on pressing issues. This delay, especially regarding the concerns of provincial farmers, posed a significant risk for a party that draws much of its support from the heartland of the province.

For the Punjab government, this was an even more serious matter, as it had thus far focused all its efforts on creating positive optics for CM Punjab Maryam Nawaz.

With the media and social media scrutiny amplifying the farmers' plight, the issue had become a potential Achilles' heel, capable of shattering the carefully crafted facade around CM Punjab.

SOURCE: EXPRESS TRIBUNE

 

[Cricket Warrior]

All set for Nawaz's return as PML-N president again

PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif is all set to take the reins of the party as arrangements have been finalised in this regard.

The former three-time prime minister chaired a high-level meeting of the party at Model Town secretariat on Monday.

PML-N secretary general Ahsan Iqbal gave a detailed briefing regarding party’s general council meeting scheduled for May 11.

The meeting was also attended by Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, Speaker National Assembly Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, law minister Azam Nazir Tarar and PML-N stalwarts Rana Sanaullah and Khawaja Saad Rafique.

According to sources, Nawaz Sharif will be elected as PML-N president once again during the general council meeting while party’s veteran Kh Saad Rafique will become the secretary general.

A resolution would be moved in the meeting to elect Nawaz Sharif as PML-N president.

Earlier, the Punjab chapter of PML-N had passed a unanimous resolution a couple of days ago requesting the elder Sharif to lead the party once again.

“Mian Nawaz Sharif ceased to be the president of the PML-N as the result of a controversial judicial order. All obstacles of suppression are over and he stands vindicated. The PML-N will move forward under his leadership,” PML-N Punjab president Rana Sanaullah had said after the passage of the resolution.

“Nawaz Sharif had been requested to reassume the charge of the PML-N,” he has said.

He added that the former prime minister had been forcibly separated from the party in 2017.

According to insiders, it was decided to separate the organisational and government offices in order to make the party more vibrant.

All set for Nawaz's return as PML-N president again

PML-N veteran Kh Saad Rafique will become the secretary general

dunyanews.tv

 

[BouncerGuy]

NAB reply sought in Toshakhana reference against Nawaz by 23rd

An accountability court on Tuesday sought reply from the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on an application of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, seeking his acquittal in a reference related to Toshakhana vehicles.

Judge Nasir Javed Rana of the accountability court asked NAB’s prosecution to submit reply by May 23.

The judge was hearing the reference against President Asif Ali Zardari and supreme leader of the ruling PML-N Nawaz Sharif for allegedly obtaining luxury vehicles from Toshakhana by paying only 15 per cent of their prices.

NAB alleged that ex-PM and incumbent chairman Senate Syed Yousaf Raza Gillani facilitated the allotment of the vehicles to them by ‘dishonestly’ and ‘illegally’ relaxing the procedure for the acceptance and disposal of gifts vide a cabinet division memorandum of 2007.

The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in a report submitted to the court last month virtually cleared Mr Sharif in the Toshakhana vehicle reference. The prosecution contended in the report that the vehicle concerned was gifted to then-PM Nawaz by the government of Saudi Arabia and was deposited in the Toshakhana. The report stated that the car sold out to Mr Sharif was included in the federal transport pool. In 2008, then PM Gilani had offered Nawaz to buy the car, at which the latter did so from the federal transport pool and not the Toshakhana, the NAB report said.

“This case may attract any other offence but it has no relevancy with the benefit of Toshakhana as the subject vehicle when purchased was not part of Toshakhana, rather than the same was part of the federal transport pool,” it said.

SOURCE: DAWN