Haroonabad: Nawaz Sharif, the leader of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) on Tuesday criticized Imran Khan, the founder of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), accusing him of jeopardizing Pakistan’s integrity to safeguard his rule.

During a public gathering in Haroonabad, Sharif asserted that, despite facing challenges, he never compromised national security. He referred to Imran Khan’s involvement in the cipher controversy, stating that Khan plotted conspiracies, compromised national security by divulging state secrets, and attacked the country’s integrity to protect his leadership.

Nawaz Sharif highlighted his government’s achievements, claiming control over inflation, fuel rates, load shedding, and stabilization of the US dollar, along with the successful avoidance of International Monetary Fund (IMF) dependency. He contrasted this with the former PTI government’s alleged dependence on foreign countries. Sharif also referred to the Transparency International corruption index, asserting that the PTI founder’s era was deemed the most corrupt, while corruption had decreased during his government’s tenure.

The Corruption Perception Index (CPI) showed Pakistan’s improved ranking by seven places, now at 133rd among 180 countries, compared to the previous year’s 140th place. The CPI score for 2023 was 29 out of 100, marking a two-point increase, the highest score since 2020, according to the Berlin-based corruption watchdog.

Nawaz Sharif concluded by pledging that his party would bring economic stability and prosperity to the country if voted into power. He emphasized resolving issues such as unemployment, poverty, and inflation as top priorities after assuming power.