AHMED PUR EAST:
Former premier and PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday vowed to serve the masses if voted to power in the Feb 8 general elections, saying they would elevate Ahmedpur East to the status of a district, create a network of schools as well as roads, and fulfil all the promises made to the people.
The PML-N president made the remarks while addressing a public gathering in Ahmedpur East.
Shehbaz waved to the crowd as he arrived on the stage, and responded to their cheers by placing his hand in the hands of his party’s candidates.
In a display of solidarity, the PML-N leader started his speech in Saraiki language. He said if the Almighty willed, once again after coming to power, they would elevate the status of Ahmedpur East to a district while Uch Sharif would be made a tehsil.
He recalled that during their past regimes, the PML-N had worked on “record projects” and established a cardiology institute and Daanish schools in Bahawalpur, and rendered significant services in the field of information technology.
Daanish schools, described as the brainchild of Shehbaz, is a schooling system in Punjab that offers free-of-cost education to the underprivileged children.
He said no stone was left unturned in the progress of Ahmedpur East, adding that a network of roads was laid during the tenure of his brother and three-time former premier Nawaz Sharif.
Shehbaz vowed to undertake “exemplary projects” after winning the upcoming polls, promising to establish a state-of-the-art hospital, a university and college in Ahmedpur East, and further expand the network of Daanish schools.
Read: People have only two choices: Shehbaz
Meanwhile, Nawaz arrived in his home constituency of NA-130, Lahore along with his daughter and PML-N Chief Organiser Maryam Nawaz.
The PML-N supremo held a rally that started from Bilal Gunj amid police security. While travelling through the narrow streets of Old Lahore, the public gathering was initially marked by an insignificant presence of people.
There was no formal address for his constituents, which apparently was contrary to the common practice, especially in view of the fact that Nawaz had returned to his constituency to contest elections after 11 years.
Both the leaders waved to the constituents to respond to their sloganeering.
Maryam, accompanying her father during the rally, was seen as a message to the party as to who the “real successor” of Nawaz was.
It appears that Nawaz would hardly face any competition from NA-130 as his rival PTI candidate Yasmin Rashid had been in prison since last year, and given the stranglehold the party was in, no real campaign was visible for them.
As the rally ended at the Kacheri Chowk, it gathered some steam.
Nawaz is scheduled to address a rally in Nankana Sahib on Wednesday (today).
(With input from Rameez Khan from Lahore)
