Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif Sunday expressed optimism that his party would emerge victorious in the next general election in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and launch an era of socio-economic development in the province.
Addressing a public rally in Peshawar, the PML-N chief said Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) leader Imran Khan was expert in telling lies and hurling accusations, who had badly failed to initiate any development work in KP which he used to claim during his last election campaign.
He said Imran Khan could not digest the mega development projects launched by PML-N government, like power plants to overcome load-shedding and building a road network, besides elimination of terrorism, and out of his frustration started levelling baseless allegations against it.
"Where is the 'Naya Pakistan', where are the 350 dams, where are the schools and universities, where are the health and education sector reforms?" he questioned.
The PML-N leader said the KP police sent samples to the forensic laboratory in Lahore for testing as the province had no such modern facility. Had there been such facility in the province, the perpetrators of the grisly crimes like those of Kohat and Mardarn would have been traced and apprehended, he added.
Earlier, Maryam Nawaz said that people of Peshawar have declared Nawaz honest and truthful.
Addressing the participants, Maryam said, “Today, Peshawar has taken ‘notice’ of the violation of people’s elected leader”.
Maryam began her speech by offering condolences to the Pakistan Army officials martyred in a suicide attack in Swat on Saturday.
Taking a jibe at the ruling party of the province, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), she asked where the ‘change’ is, referring to the party’s slogan.
“Nawaz will roar in the elections,” she said, and asked the participants of the rally to promise that they will take ‘revenge’ for the violation of their vote by voting for PML-N in the general election.
Earlier, the former premier was at the residence of provincial party chief Amir Muqam, where he chaired an informal meeting with PML-N provincial assembly members.
Talking to the media at the venue earlier, Nawaz’s aide Senator Asif Kirmani said they will turn the province into a den of the PML-N.
In his last address to a public gathering in Jaranwala, the former premier said his party will push its “political opponents hard” in 2018, so they are not seen again.
The PML-N president also touched upon the reasons for his ouster, a recurring theme in his recent rallies.
“Is it a crime to not draw a salary from your son?” Nawaz questioned the attendees of the rally. “I was ousted because of this crime.”