URGES NAWAZ TO RETURN TO PAKISTAN AND BECOME PM FOR FOURTH TIME; GOVT STRIVING TO SECURE A ‘SHORT-TERM AGREEMENT’ WITH IMF

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday urged Pakistan Muslim League-N supremo Nawaz Sharif to return to Pakistan to lead the election campaign of the party and become the prime minister for the fourth time.

The intra-party elections at the federal level were held at the Central Secretariat of Pakistan Muslim League-N, Chak Shehzad.

PM Shehbaz made the appeal during a central general council meeting of the party where the premier was re-elected as the president of the PML-N, while Maryam Nawaz elected as the senior vice president.

The PML-N general council meeting also elected several other officials to various positions.

The newly elected officials include Ahsan Iqbal as the general secretary, Marriyum Aurangzeb as the secretary of information, Ataullah Tarar as the deputy secretary, and Ishaq Dar as the secretary of finance and overseas affairs.

However, senior party leader and former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi was not given any position in Pakistan Muslim League-N.

In another development, PML-N decided to activate its minority wing and a six-member team was constituted by Chief Organiser Maryam Nawaz.

Former Member of the Provincial Assembly in Punjab Raheela Khadim Hussain has been appointed as coordinator of the Punjab Minority Committee. The members include Ramesh Singh Arora, Kamran Bhatti, Babu Leela Ram and Robina Feroz.

The committee was tasked to complete organisational structure of the minority wing in three weeks. The elections were uncontested, indicating a show of unity within the party.

Speaking on the occasion, Prime Minister Shehbaz expressed his desire for Nawaz Sharif’s return to the country and his aspiration to work as “Nawaz’s soldier” when he contests the election to become prime minister again.

The prime Minister acknowledged the challenges faced by the government in fulfiling the conditions for an agreement with the International Monetary Fund. He called on the nation to pray for the finalisation of an agreement with the global lender. He said the government was striving to secure a ‘short-term agreement’ with IMF.

Shehbaz also emphasised the importance of Nawaz Sharif’s presence in Pakistan, stating that the country’s political and economic landscape would undergo a significant transformation upon his return.