Nawaz Sharif Pursued Constitutional Struggle and Delivered for the State, Says Javed Latif
LAHORE: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader and former federal minister Mian Javed Latif has said that Nawaz Sharif pursued a long constitutional struggle and delivered for the state, questioning why the former prime minister was repeatedly removed from office.
Speaking during a podcast, Latif said that whenever Nawaz Sharif asked, “Why was I removed?”, his question was met with ridicule, with critics questioning why he continued to raise the issue.
Latif said Nawaz Sharif was asking why those who orchestrated sit-ins and secured his conviction had not been held accountable.
“I have stood by Nawaz Sharif in every difficult time and will remain with him until my last breath,” Latif said, adding that he shared an ideological bond with the PML-N supremo, who, he maintained, had consistently worked for the state.
He said Nawaz Sharif’s questions about his removals from power in 1993, 1999 and 2017 were entirely legitimate.
Latif argued that successive elected governments had been sent home despite undertaking major national projects and initiatives. He cited the construction of motorways, Pakistan’s nuclear tests to strengthen national defence, and the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), launched in 2013, which he said helped put the economy back on track while efforts were made to eliminate terrorism and load-shedding.
He questioned why elected governments had repeatedly been dismissed despite these initiatives.
نواز شریف جب پوچھتے ہیں کہ مجھے کیوں ہٹایا تو ٹھٹھہ اڑایا جاتا ہے کہ یہ بار بار کیوں پوچھتے ہیں باز نہیں آتے۔نواز شریف یہ پوچھتے ہیں کہ جنہوں نے 1993 میں ہٹایا انہیں کوئی سزا دی جنہوں نے 99 میں مارشل لاء لگایا انہیں کسی نے سزا دی؟2013 اور 2017 میں جنہوں نے دھرنا دلوایا مجھے سزا دلوا دی کیا انہیں کسی نے سزا دی؟
نواز شریف نے ایک لمبا عرصہ آئینی جدوجہد کی ہے اور ریاست کیلئے ڈلیور بھی کیا ہے،وہ پوچھتے ہیں کہ انہیں 93 میں کیوں ہٹایا گیا جب انڈسٹری لگ رہی تھی موٹروے اور سڑکوں کا جال بچھ رہا تھا روزگار مل رہا تھا پھر 99 میں کیوں ہٹایا گیا جب پاکستان کے دفاع کو ناقابل تسخیر بنا دیا گیا تھا، کالا باغ ڈیم بنانے کا اعادہ کیا تھا، پھر 2013 میں کیوں ہٹایا گیا جب وہ سی پیک لے کر آیا تھا کیا وہ جرم بن گیا۔اس نے دہشت گردی لوڈشیڈنگ کو ختم کیا ،سفارتی تعلقات بہتر کیے معیشت کو بہتر کیا پھر اسے کیوں ہٹایا گیا؟— Mian Javed Latif (@Mian_JavedLatif) October 26, 2026
Referring to the 2024 general elections, the PML-N leader said that ministers and people in private discussions were now acknowledging that results in several constituencies had allegedly been changed.
He said both the government and opposition were being described as products of “Form 47”, a reference to the election result compilation process. He questioned whether the situation in Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had been any different from the allegations of electoral manipulation raised in Punjab.
Latif further claimed that the primary objective of bringing Nawaz Sharif back to Pakistan was to make him prime minister for a fourth time, but deliberate obstacles had been placed in his way.
Discussing the state of democracy in Pakistan, Latif said constitutional principles, the rule of law and democratic traditions had repeatedly been undermined.
He argued that responsibility for the situation could not be placed solely on the establishment or politicians, saying that shortcomings existed on both sides.
Latif also questioned whether any military dictator who imposed martial law, any general who violated the Constitution, or any judge who issued wrongful decisions had ever been punished for such actions.
He maintained that the prime minister was often treated as an easy target, while accountability for other powerful figures remained a subject of debate.
