LAHORE(National times)- Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif has said that the recent by-elections were not just elections but a referendum that the PML-N has clearly won, adding that \u201cPrisoner No. 804 was defeated inside his own home.\u201d She said that when the public stands with you, \u201cyou never boycott elections.\u201dAddressing a special meeting of provincial ministers and secretaries, she said she had never witnessed such hypocrisy: \u201cWhen they lose, they call it a boycott. If there were rigging, the world would have seen it. Today, foreign publications are writing that Punjab used to run on \u2018witchcraft\u2019. Such tricks may bring temporary success only.\u201d She added that the same hardships PML-N once faced\u2014such as being denied jail visitation rights\u2014are now being lamented by others. Maryam Nawaz said she received only one 20-minute meeting per week with Nawaz Sharif while in jail, and even learned of her mother\u2019s passing behind bars. \u201cStill, we did not boycott elections. Nawaz Sharif never did either. PTI is now facing the consequences of its own actions,\u201d she said. She added that those who attack the state do not deserve garlands. \u201cThey formed alliances, toppled turbans, yet no one spoke. Their downfall began the day they attacked the state.\u201d Criticizing governance in KP, she said corruption had piled up and mere rhetoric could not fill people\u2019s stomachs. \u201cKP has been dragged back to the Stone Age. We are opening our hearts and resources for the people of KP.\u201d Maryam Nawaz said the people of Haripur voted for Nawaz Sharif because a truly popular leader never boycotts elections. \u201cA narrative is not crafted artificially\u2014it forms on its own. PTI attacked the country when its government fell. Their politics is not politics. She said the best narrative is performance. During the PTI era, the entire state machinery was set against the PML-N. \u201cPTI boycotted elections in Punjab but contested in KP\u2014and still suffered a humiliating defeat.\u201d She said PTI campaigned under the name of \u201cPrisoner No. 804\u201d but still lost. \u201cTheir claims of popularity collapsed. I dedicate this by-election victory to Nawaz Sharif and to the people of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
LAHORE(National times)- Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif has said that the recent by-elections were not just elections but a referendum that the PML-N has clearly won, adding that \u201cPrisoner No. 804 was defeated inside his own home.\u201d She said that when the public stands with you, \u201cyou never boycott elections.\u201dAddressing a special meeting of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":116406,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-116405","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-national","entry"],"yoast_head":"\n