PML-N Spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb on Saturday said it was three-time prime minister Nawaz Sharif who never enjoyed a level-playing field – an obvious reference to how he was kept out of elections in 2002, 2008 and 2018. Talking to reporter outside an anti-terrorism court where she appeared in connection with a case, she said the PTI wanted to avoid elections and had initially reached the Lahore High Court (LHC) for the purpose. Marriyum blasted the PTI for backing the resolution passed in the Senate a day earlier, which called for postponement of general elections scheduled next month on May 8. Pakistan and the people needed polls, she reaffirmed and added that they won’t allow anyone to run away from elections. Continuing with her arguments about the level-playing field, Marriyum mentioned how the PTI founding chairman has been getting relief from courts and reminded the media persons how the person who orchestrated the May 9 violence was greeted with remarks like “good to see you” in the Supreme Court by the then chief justice Umar Ata Bandial.

The PML-N leader said people knew who was responsible for the May 9 attacks on military installations and other important locations and they would hand over Pakistan to the ones who stood for May 28 [nuclear tests conducted by Nawaz Sharif government in 1998], adding that Article 6 should be slapped on those elements. She also blasted the PTI former chairman over an article recently published in the Economist, in which he talked about “farce” elections and inflation as well as how he had “saved” Pakistan from “default”. The PTI had pushed Pakistan towards default which the coalition government led by PML-N had avoided, she said, adding that rising prices were a PTI gift. She also rubbished the claims that the PTI candidates’ nomination papers were rejected without any reason and called the narrative as a propaganda and lie designed to gain sympathy. The PML-N was ready for polls and had become the first party to publish the list of candidates by sharing the names from Balochistan, Marriyum told reporters.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)