In meeting with Blome, Nawaz lays stress on sturdy Pak-US partnership

LAHORE  –  United States Ambassador to Paki­stan Donald Blome called on Paki­stan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Quaid Muhammad Nawaz Sharif on Saturday. According to a statement issued by the PML-N on Saturday, Nawaz Sharif emphasised the signif­icance of Pakistan’s relations with the United States. He particularly re­called his various interactions with the US leaders where both sides had always acknowledged the impor­tance of Pakistan-US ties. 

During the meeting, the Quaid PML-N shared his views on political and economic situation in Pakistan, particularly in the context of his par­ty’s preparations for the upcoming elections. He expressed confidence that the people of Pakistan would once again repose their trust in the PML-N to lead the country out of the myriad prob­lems confronting it today. “The two leaders also discussed the enduring bilateral ties and co­operation over multilateral matters of mutual interest be­tween Pakistan and the U.S.” Both the leaders acknowledged the importance of steadfast and sturdy partnership between the two countries. They recognised the importance of exploring av­enues to boost cooperation and building on the successful out­comes that underpin the robust US-Pakistan bilateral relation­ship. The US Ambassador and PML-N leader deliberated over a number of diverse domains, including trade, economy, cli­mate change, security, and re­gional stability. Regional devel­opments were also discussed. Muhammad Nawaz Sharif raised the issue of the plight of innocent Palestinians who were being mercilessly killed by the indiscriminate Israeli bombard­ment and imposition of siege around Gaza. He called for an immediate end to hostilities and urgent provision of humanitar­ian and medical assistance to the People. The US Ambassador shared U.S. priorities with the PML-N leader and thanked him for a frank and cordial exchange of views during the meeting. 

Meanwhile, Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) Senior Leader Rana Sanaullah said Sat­urday that his party would form a strong government in the up­coming general elections after getting a simple majority. 

Addressing a press confer­ence here on Saturday, he said that PML-N would run the elec­toral campaign with vigor in Punjab. He hoped that his par­ty would get 120 to 125 seats in Punjab out of 141. Rana Sanaullah said that his party wished to work with all nation­al institutions and political par­ties for the country’s prosperi­ty and development. “We need to work collectively to achieve development and prosperity for the people” he added. He said that the PML-N had more than one candidate in every constitu­ency. Workers and leaders have decided to contest elections in great numbers, he added. 

He announced that the meet­ing of the parliamentary board would start next week, which would be presided over by PML-N Quaid Nawaz Sharif. The people would decide who is go­ing to get a majority in Baloch­istan, he remarked and prom­ised to take the province along with them in the future.

Rana Sanaullah recalled that the people of Pakistan had re­posed confidence in the PML-N in 2013 when the country was facing rampant incidents of terrorism and long durations of loadshedding. However, the PML-N under dynamic lead­ership of Mian Nawaz Shar­if overcame the menace of ter­rorism and loadshedding and put the country on the road to progress and prosperity in 4 years, he added.

He said that the growth rate was 6.2 percent in Pakistan in 2018 when the PML-N govern­ment ended. Mian Nawaz Shar­if was disqualified on a flimsy allegation of not receiving sal­ary from his own son and Im­ran Khan was imposed on the nation but the “incompetent” person bitterly failed to deliver to the nation despite enjoying power for four years.

Rana Sanaullah Khan said that the PML-N always preferred public welfare programmes. It initiated a number of develop­ment projects like construction of motorways and expressways in addition to establishment of hospitals, university campuses and metros, he recounted.

He said the PML-N needed a simple majority and making ev­ery political party part of the future plans was an objective of Mian Nawaz Sharif. He add­ed that people would trust the PML-N again. He highlighted that Pakistan embarked on a track of development in 2017 if it had continued on the same track, Pa­kistan would have been in G20 in the next four to five years.

The PML-N leader and for­mer interior minister also told reporters that all political par­ties would partake in the elec­toral process. People will decide [who they wanted in power].”

Responding to another ques­tion, Sanaullah hit back at the PPP and asked if lodging false cases against PML-N’s leader­ship was a “level playing field”. 

Speaking on the occasion, the PML-N leader said: “We are in the winning position. We are re­gaining our position. It is not out of the blue.” “You are displeased as it is not happening now what­ever happened to us in the 2018 elections,” he added.