Lahore (Web Desk): Nawaz Sharif was elected "unopposed" as president of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), once again after more than six years today.
According to details, the five-member election commission of the party headed by Rana Sanaullah and comprising Iqbal Jhagra, Ishrat Ashraf, Jamal Shah Kakar and Khealdas Kohistani supervised the elections.
No candidate submitted nomination papers against Nawaz Sharif.
The official announcement was made during the general council meeting, where Nawaz Sharif’s presidency was confirmed.
Members of the general council endorsed Nawaz's nomination as president through a show of hands during the session.
PM Shehbaz stepped down as the president of the PML-N on May 13, paving the way for the party supremo and three times former premier Nawaz to be elected as the party head.
Nawaz Sharif returned to the party’s helm six years after he lost the party president’s office due to a Supreme Court (SC) decision in the Panama Papers case.
Addressing the party's general council meeting after being elected as president after a gap of six years, Nawaz Sharif said that Pakistan would have progressed if his governments had not been toppled repeatedly.
He said that Pakistan would have held a unique position and power in Asia if the progress under his government had not been halted.
The former premier lamented that the practice of “leg pulling”, which he said had been going on since 1977 and had weakened the country.
"We should accept that we have shot ourselves in the foot. Believe me, we have never gone to anyone with a begging bowl," he added.
Nawaz said that he would have never complained if he had been ousted from the prime minister’s post for corruption.
The former premier told the party members cheering for him on the occasion, to celebrate not because he was re-elected as the PML-N president but because the decision by former chief justice of Pakistan (CJP) Saqib Nisar in the Panama Papers case “had been thrown into the waste basket”.
Nawaz said that Saqib Nisar had given the ruling to remove him from the party’s presidency forever.
“Tell Saqib Nisar to come here today and see what happened to his decision," the former premier said.
He said that four to five people compromised the people’s mandate regarding his ouster after being elected by the masses.
The newly elected PML-N president praised his brother, PM Shehbaz for his "resilience" as he always stood with him, saying that many people tried to create rifts between them by offering Shehbaz the post of prime minister but he didn't give into it.
"Shehbaz Sharif said, 'I reject the top ministry being given in exchange for disloyalty'," Nawaz said.
He also congratulated his daughter, Punjab Chief Minister Mariam Nawaz, for keeping the party active.
While criticizing Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder, Nawaz asked which of the cases against Imran Khan were fake. He also asked Imran whether he was the "third force" behind his ouster.
The PML-N president said that it was Imran who "helped" in toppling the PML-N regime in 2017 and "derailing democracy".
Speaking on the occasion, PM Shehbaz congratulated his brother on reassuming the party presidency.
“The injustice which was committed against you in 2017 … God has restored you to the position and respect as before with this great majority.”
He said the responsibility and trust which was given to him was today returned to Nawaz. Shehbaz said those who had tried to “humiliate” Nawaz’s achievements and services to the nation through “betrayal and fraud” were today shamed themselves while his brother stood vindicated.
The prime minister said his brother was disqualified in bogus and baseless cases, adding that even his opponents were forced to admit the injustice with the elder Sharif.
Shehbaz directly accused PTI founder Imran Khan of being behind the alleged rigging in the 2018 general elections, saying that “Nawaz’s winning election was turned into a defeat.”
The prime minister excoriated the PTI founder for allegedly criticising the army.
Nawaz was removed as the party president in 2018 after SC bench headed by then-chief justice Mian Saqib Nisar ruled that an individual disqualified under Articles 62 and 63 of the Constitution cannot serve as the head of a political party.
Only a few months before this decision, he had been disqualified for life by the top court in the Panama Papers-related corruption cases.
The former premier was acquitted by the Islamabad High Court (IHC) in the corruption cases (Avenfield and Al-Azizia).
In January this year, the SC annulled the lifetime disqualification of parliamentarians under Article 62-1F, after which Nawaz Sharif was re-elected. All obstacles to becoming party president were removed.
