PML-N has now conceded that elections should be held in Punjab, and K-P Shehbaz is now accepting applications from candidates in Punjab for party tickets.
While the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) had been vocal about delaying the elections in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) and had even used its position of power in the Centre for the purpose, it appears to have finally accepted the reality of elections and the consequences of defying the Supreme Court’s (SC) orders as party president Shehbaz Sharif has invited applications from candidates for party tickets and ordered the party to get ready for the elections.
Shehbaz has issued a call for interested candidates from Punjab to submit applications for party tickets. Additionally, he has given the party’s parliamentary boards instructions to complete the candidate lists for Punjab and K-P. Given that the Election Commission of Pakistan announced March 14 as the deadline for submitting nomination papers in Punjab, he has further instructed the candidates to submit the documents in their respective seats (ECP).
Candidates have been told to go to the central party secretariat at 180-H Model Town to submit their applications. The workers have also been told by the party’s leader to put together a plan for organising an election campaign.
He advised party candidates to get ready to run for office. He also advised party leaders to do the same. He said that they have previously led Pakistan out of problems and will do it once more under Nawaz Sharif’s leadership. He added that the PML-N eliminated terrorism, provided first-rate travel amenities, put an end to load shedding, stabilised the economy, helped educate the youth, supplied jobs, and awarded scholarships while in office.
Up until this point, the PML-N had maintained that the party would only participate in elections once they had been given an equal playing field and once Nawaz had been exonerated of all allegations.
These demands were echoed by the party’s chief organiser, Maryam Nawaz, during a youth congress. Her division-by-division trips were described as an election campaign. In spite of facing up against the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), a formidable opponent, it was widely believed that the PML-N was not joining politics and would instead continue its efforts to postpone elections by citing security or financial concerns.
Nonetheless, the federal government would have sued the supreme court if there had been any attempt to postpone the polls further. It’s interesting to note that the party’s newly appointed chief organiser made no mention of the plan to invite applications while speaking to the party’s youth leaders.
