Abbottabad: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Senior Vice President and Chief Organiser Maryam Nawaz on Thursday said that the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa looked up to former prime minister Nawaz Sharif in difficult times.
Addressing a party’s workers’ convention in Abbottabad, Nawaz said, “PML-N supremo had handed over me the responsibility of chief organiser”.
Pointing out the PTI-led government’s contributions, she berated PTI chief Imran Khan “on not building a single university or college in the province.”
Assailing the PTI’s Ten Billion Tree Tsunami Programme , Maryam said, “The PTI government had devastated the forests.”
Accusing the former first lady of receiving bribes during the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) government, she suggested that Jail bharo movement should be started from Bushra Bibi, the wife of PTI Chairman Imran Khan.
While firing a fresh broadside at Khan she said: “Your frontperson Farah Gogi has fled to Dubai. Your wife received diamond rings and bribes. Hence, the arrest should be started from her.”
She maintained that the PTI chief signed “files after taking bribes, then why should the workers be arrested?”
She said that Imran Khan would have to be held accountable for depriving Khyber Pakhtunkhwa of development in the 10 years his party ruled here, despite being given funds of billions of rupees.
She regretted that several innocent lives were lost in the Peshawar suicide blast because Imran wasted all the resources meant for the provinces instead of strengthening the law enforcement agencies.
“KP was allocated massive budget to fight terror, but nothing was spent on it. The public wants to know why,” she questioned.
She remarked that those talking about filling jails were stuffing their pockets for 10 years when they ruled the province. Development funds meant for the people of KP were spent on the security of Zaman Park and Imran Khan.
“He will have to be held accountable for this. For 10 years, all the accountability bodies in the province were kept shut to evade accountability,” she claimed.
Maryam said when you look around the country, all development projects worth talking about, including the Gwadar port, Hazara motorway, CPEC, Metro bus, everything was linked to Nawaz Sharif.
“I really wanted to see what Imran Khan did in the last 10 years – if there were any new schools, colleges, universities, IT centers, but couldn’t find anything. The one talking about turning Peshawar into Lahore, tuned Lahore into Peshawar. He promised 10 million jobs, but not even 1,000 were given. The trees apparently planted during the Billion Tree Tsunami appeared to have vanished, and instead the PTI leaders sold wood from jungles. He wanted to build dams, but made a damn fool of everyone,” the PML-N leader claimed.
Commenting on PTI leader Shah Mahmood Qureshi’s statement that PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif was convicted wrongly, Maryam asked him to also reveal who was responsible for that conviction. “Imran Khan was the head of that group,” she claimed.
Maryam accused Imran of causing inflation by signing the IMF deal and later reneging on it, for the incumbent government to bear the brunt.
She also berated the PTI chief for claiming he has information about the agencies trying to kill him.
She quipped that on one hand, Khan wants to fill jails, but on the other uses women and other workers as shields outside his Zaman Park house.
She insisted that KP lacked a leadership that cared for the public. It didn’t need funds or resources, but Nawaz Sharif.
“The province deserves more development than Punjab, including hospitals, universities, IT centers, roads, which only Nawaz Sharif and PML-N can ensure. If anyone can bring prosperity to the country and pull it out of all crises, it is only Nawaz Sharif and PML-N.”
She then asked the gathering to vote for her party to ensure a better future, development, varsities, schools, roads and jobs.
Taking about the demand for Hazara province, she said it was a big issue, but to fulfil it her party would need two-thirds majority in parliament.
“Get the PML-N the majority, and we’ll give you the Hazara province. All the workers are requested to spread the PML-N’s message to every nook and corner of KP. I want women and youths to actively participate in the campaign,” Maryam stated.
