Nawaz Sharif Blames Imran Khan’s ‘Facilitators’ for Pakistan’s Turmoil

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Nawaz Sharif launched a strong broadside on Wednesday, declaring that the country’s challenges were not solely the doing of Imran Khan but also of the “facilitators” who, in his view, helped the PTI founder rise to power. Speaking at a meeting of newly elected lawmakers in Lahore, he said the recent Pakistan by-elections had shown that “lies and chaos have been rejected by the people.”

‘PTI Government Damaged Economy and Diplomacy’

The former three-time prime minister said the PTI government left Pakistan’s economic and diplomatic standing in ruins, claiming that progress made during his earlier tenure had been reversed. He maintained that Pakistan had been on a strong growth trajectory before PTI took office, insisting that his administration freed the country from dependence on international lenders.

“If development had continued at the same pace, Pakistan would have held a far stronger place in the world today,” he said, accusing PTI of creating “destruction” on all fronts.

Nawaz also ridiculed the PTI leadership, saying it seemed as though the party came into power “to play cricket — and did just that for five years.”

Praise for Shehbaz and Maryam Over Economic Stabilisation

The PML-N leader praised Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz for leading efforts that, according to him, stabilised Pakistan’s economy and prevented a potential default. He said inflation had eased and the country was now ready “to climb to new heights of development.”

Nawaz also criticised PTI for announcing a boycott of the by-elections while simultaneously fielding candidates. He pointed to Omar Ayub’s spouse contesting a seat as evidence that the boycott was only symbolic.

Maryam Nawaz Says Attempts to End Nawaz’s Career Have Failed

Addressing the gathering, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz said repeated attempts to end her father’s political career had failed. She accused previous governments of targeting their family out of “personal enmity,” recalling years of difficulties, including exile.

She noted that when PML-N took over at the federal and provincial levels, critics insisted Pakistan would default. “Today, nobody pays attention to their calls,” she added.

PML-N Dominates Pakistan By-Elections

The chief minister credited the PML-N’s clean sweep in the Pakistan by-elections to the performance of both the federal and Punjab governments. Unofficial results showed the PML-N winning all National Assembly seats up for contest—Haripur, Faisalabad, Lahore, Sahiwal and Dera Ghazi Khan—along with six out of seven Punjab Assembly seats. The lone exception was PP-269 Muzaffargarh, which went to the Pakistan Peoples Party.

Nawaz Sharif said the results demonstrated public trust in the PML-N’s governance and a clear rejection of the turbulence associated with the PTI era.