Lahore: In a majorly surprising move that can only happen in Pakistan, three-time former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's supporters brought a lion and a tiger at his rally in Lahore on Tuesday, according to Pakistani media. The animals represented the symbol of Nawaz's party, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and were brought to the camps set up in the NA-130 constituency to welcome him .
Scores of PML-N supporters rushed towards the caged animals to take selfies with them. The wild animals have been brought to multiple PML-N public gatherings in the past, a nod to Nawaz being called the "Lion of Punjab" by his supporters. Notably, Nawaz is contesting the elections after four years of self-imposed exile in London following his conviction in two corruption cases.
However, the daring stunt left the PML-N supremo unimpressed as he immediately ordered for the wild animals to be returned. PML-N leader Marriyum Aurangzeb said the "real lion, brought by one of its supporters for the PML-N rally, has been returned."
"Nawaz Sharif has instructed that no real lion or any other animal should be brought to any rally in Pakistan," she said in a tweet, adding that the ex-PM took strict notice of bringing a lion to the rally on Mohini Road and directed to send the animal back immediately. Nawaz led a public rally in NA-130, in which his daughter Maryam Nawaz also participated.
On Wednesday, Nawaz Sharif asserted that Pakistan faced a crisis following his ouster from the prime minister's office. In a public gathering at Nankana Sahib, Sharif questioned the rationale behind imprisoning a prime minister who played a pivotal role in making Pakistan a nuclear state.
Pakistan general elections
The general elections in Pakistan are scheduled for February 8, where a hotly-contested battle between Nawaz Sharif and Imran Khan was expected. While the PML-N remains confident that Nawaz will return as PM, many polls earlier showed that Imran and his PTI enjoy widespread popularity.
Notably, the Pakistan National Assembly had 342 seats-- 272 of which are directly elected, 60 are reserved for women and 10 for religious minorities. According to the country's constitution, at least 70 seats reserved for women and religious minorities are allocated to the political parties as per their proportional representation. After fresh delimitation, the National Assembly (NA) would consist of 336 seats, including 266 general seats, 60 seats reserved for women, and 10 for non-Muslims, a decrease of six seats overall.
Pakistan's caretaker federal cabinet led by Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar on Tuesday approved the deployment of troops and civil armed forces personnel on polling stations and sensitive constituencies during the February 8 general elections, Dawn reported. The deployment was demanded by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) citing a shortage of 275,000 security officials.
Earlier this month, an independent candidate, Kaleemullah Khan was shot dead in North Waziristan. Hours later, PTI leader Shah Khalid was also killed in an attack on his car in Swabi. Several other leaders, including Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F) also came under attack in the run-up to the elections. Kakar constituted a seven-member committee mandated with ensuring the smooth conduct of the Feb 8 elections as well as overseeing their security arrangements.
(with ANI inputs)
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