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LAHORE: PML-N President Nawaz Sharif on Wednesday said if the need arises ten prime ministers could be sent home for not obeying the courts, adding that the government should hold negotiations over the caretaker set-up for the next general elections. He said that strong political parties are the true guarantors of the stability of the democratic system, and a vibrant and dynamic PML-N would ensure a robust democracy and a stable Pakistan.

Nawaz expressed these views at a meeting of the party’s district presidents and general secretaries from all over Punjab on Wednesday. He said the PML-N has performed many unprecedented feats, including the strengthening of institutions in Pakistan, fighting for the independence of judiciary, ensuring predominance of the Constitution and putting the national economy on the road to rapid progress.

Nawaz said during the previous elections, efforts were made to unjustly keep the PML-N leadership away, but it was able to enter Pakistan on the last day of the submission of nomination papers. He recalled that his nomination papers, along with those of Shahbaz Sharif, were maneuvered to be rejected, but despite such negative tactics, they faced the prevailing conditions with utmost courage and the party got representation in three provinces and formed its government in one.

Nawaz stressed that the PML-N has always promoted the politics of principles and rejected bargaining for the sake of power. He said many principles promoted by the PML-N have now become accepted realities, including the restoration of the judiciary, rejection of NRO, establishment of an impartial Election Commission, setting up of neutral caretaker governments, evolving a transparent methodology for the appointment of judges, elimination of dictatorial sections from the Constitution and galvanising the role of parliament in the interest of national dignity.

The PML-N leader said that after elections within the PML-N, the leadership of the party had now been handed over to its workers, and it was now their duty to play a vigorous role. He said workers and party organisations will have to play the very important role of selecting candidates of the party for the next general elections, for which they should start formulating their suggestions at the earliest.

Nawaz said it was the solemn pledge of every PML-N worker to struggle for the progress of Pakistan, by rising above his or her personal interests instead of hankering after power. The meeting was attended by Shahbaz Sharif, Kh Asif, Zulfiqar Ali Khosa, Ahsan Iqbal, Senator Pervaiz Rasheed, Raja Ashfaq Sarwar and Jaafar Iqbal.

Online adds: Meanwhile, talking to the media in Lahore, Nawaz demanded that the government hold talks on the caretaker set-up for the next general elections, adding that the set-up should be constituted in consultation with all stakeholders.

“If you [the government] give us [the PML-N] a tough time, we will reciprocate,” he added, hailing the appointment of Fakhruddin G Ebrahim as chief election commissioner.