On 20th December, former Pakistani prime minister Nawaz Sharif once again praised India, a day after he stated that neither India nor the United States of America were to blame for Pakistan’s economic decline. At a public speech he declared that while India had reached the moon, his own country is yet to raise from the ground level. The three-time prime minister of Pakistan was alluding to India’s lunar expedition, Chandrayaan-3.
He had applauded India’s moon expedition a few months prior and now with his nation experiencing severe socioeconomic hardship, the former prime minister has once more emphasised the potential of India’s space program. Furthermore, he discussed the economic development of India as well as the 2023 G20 summit. He remarked, “We have been responsible for our own downfall, otherwise this nation would have reached a different place. Our neighbours have reached the moon but we haven’t even risen from the ground so far. It can’t keep going on like this.”
While addressing his party as the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) chairman, he made a jab at the military by charging that neither India nor the United States was to blame for Pakistan’s current predicament. “Today where Pakistan has reached (in terms of the state of the economy) this is not done by India, the US or even Afghanistan. In fact, we shot ourselves in our own foot. They (a reference to the military) imposed a selected (government) on this nation by rigging the 2018 polls and it led to the suffering of the people and the downfall of the economy,” Sharif stated.
The practice of Nawaz Sharif adopting a progressive stance toward India is not new. He compared the two nations in a similar way after India launched the Chandrayaan-3 mission to the south side of the moon. “Today Pakistan’s prime minister goes country to country to beg for funds while India has reached the moon and is holding G20 meetings. Why Pakistan couldn’t achieve the feats India did. Who is responsible for this here?”
Notably, Nawaz Sharif has appeared pro-India before the general elections which are set to take place on 8th February next year following repeated delays. He has been hiding out in London since 2019 and has long desired to return to Pakistan’s political scene. After he was granted a five-year diplomatic passport by the Pakistani Ministry of Foreign Affairs in November last year, rumours began to circulate regarding his imminent return to Pakistan.
Later, Islamabad High Court cleared him in the Al-Azizia Steel Mill corruption case. The decision was made public by the two-judge panel which included Chief Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb. He had also been exonerated by the same bench in the Avenfield property matter last month.
His return to Pakistan was made possible by his acquittal in both instances, nevertheless, he still needs to clear one more obstacle. The Panama Papers lawsuit has resulted in the Supreme Court removing him from office. According to the top court’s interpretation of Article 62(1)(f) of the Constitution, the disqualification is permanent.
Nawaz Sharif’s son-in-law, Captain (retd.) Muhammad Safdar who is the husband of Maryam Nawaz disclosed on 20th December that the politician will be running for office from the Mansehra area of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. He informed the media that by 21st December will be turning in his nomination papers for the “NA 15 Mansehra-cum-Torghar constituency” seat in the National Assembly.
This will be Nawaz Sharif’s fourth attempt to become prime minister of Pakistan. He held the position of the country’s premier for three terms from 1990–1993, 1997–1998 and 2013–2017.
