ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz leader Senator Irfan Siddiqui on Sunday called July 28 a “dark day” in the history of the country that caused Pakistan’s decline.

The PML-N leader was referring to July 28, 2017, when the Supreme Court had disqualified former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, adding that the country was pushed into the abyss of darkness on that date.

“Seven years ago, on this very day, July 28, 2017, an elected prime minister with a two-thirds majority was removed from office and jailed for not taking a salary from his son,” the PML-N leader said.

He asserted that the country was thriving at that time as the growth rate was 6.3 per cent, inflation was just 3pc, load-shedding had ended, terrorism had been crushed, an investment of 60 billion dollars had started coming in the form of CPEC and all international institutions had predicted a bright economic future for the country.

“Pakistan was standing tall in the global community but it was pushed into the abyss of decline in accordance with a well-thought-out plan,” Senator Siddiqui claimed.

He said around 250 million people are now suffering from consequences of those decisions while planners, free from fear of accountability, are living a luxurious life.

“There is no regret nor any trace of remorse in anyone’s conscience who played havoc with lives of millions of people,” he said.

Published in Dawn, July 29th, 2024