Maryam in Mansehra: 'Man incapable of running union council tasked with running country'

PML-N vice president Maryam Nawaz on Wednesday said that the functioning of a 220-million strong country has been left in the hands of someone "who was incapable of running a union council even".

Maryam was addressing a mammoth rally in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Mansehra district.

Maryam, as she began her address, said that wherever she goes to hold a rally, she sees a swarm of youth present to support PML-N. "And the spirited elderly are not far behind."

"Nawaz Sharif has deep rooted ties with Hazara and Mansehra [...] you will not be able to deny Nawaz Sharif fulfilled his promises to you and lived up to the relationship he has shared with you.

"And he is paying the price of all that love he has shown you. So do you stand witness to the promises he fulfilled?

"He promised a motorway. Did he not built it?" she asked, referring to the Hazara Motorway.

She said that those "who did not even install a brick had very cleverly put their own name plaque on projects".

"Did anyone get a room even out of five million houses promised?" she asked, of Prime Minister Imran Khan's promise to provide affordable housing to the poor.

Maryam asked the rally participants to honestly answer whether the new Pakistan is better than the Pakistan of old.

"As long as this fake government remains in power, the poor cannot run a household and they will not be able to obtain cheap medicine. Please be mindful of this and don't forget it," she said.

She said that so long as the "fake" government is in power, prices of wheat and sugar will remain sky high.

Maryam said that so long as the incumbent government rules, people will "continue to face hardship, God forbid".

"And your votes will continue to be stolen."

Gilgit Baltistan elections

Speaking of the elections recently held for the Gilgit Baltistan Legislative Assembly, she said people came out in droves to support the PML-N and the "tiger" (PML-N's election symbol) was visible everywhere, as far as the eye could see.

Maryam claimed "no one is willing to accept the fake results" of the polls.

She said that in 2018, "pre-poll rigging brought the selected government into power", but this time around, "despite rigging" they were unable to have the "fake government" win by a majority, attributing it to Nawaz Sharif's narrative that had "reached people far and wide".

"Now he will not be able to win even with rigging. And despite stealing PML-N candidates, stealing elections, and after having representatives installed for months in Gilgit Baltistan, how many seats did you win? After all that you did. Only eight."

The PML-N vice president claimed that even these eight people are PML-N turncoats.

Call to arms

She said that after Nawaz Sharif "lovingly laid brick after brick for projects and put Pakistan on the path to progress", now when the trajectory has reversed "then of course it pains him to see it so".

"And why shouldn't he feel pain? Now do you understand Nawaz Sharif's stance?" she said, to chants of "vote ko izzat do (honour the vote)".

Maryam said that the day is not far when Nawaz Sharif will return to Pakistan "and will become the country's prime minister for the fourth time".

She urged the people to join her on November 22 for the Pakistan Democratic Movement rally in Peshawar. "And if to give the final shove to this government, I have to go to Islamabad, then will you raise the flag of Pakistan and Muslim League Noon and accompany me?"

"May God keep you safe from any harmful intent of this incapable, incompetent government," Maryam concluded by saying.