Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday urged voters to avenge the “rigging” of the 2018 general elections with the power of their mandate during the upcoming general polls by defeating the “political masquerades of PTI”.

Addressing a ceremony after laying the foundation stone of the Faisalabad Satyana bypass linking Motorway-3, he said: “During the 2018 rigged polls, Imran Khan and his clique were brought to power but the people of Faisalabad will defeat them in the upcoming general elections by massively supporting the PML-N candidates.”

The premier added that during the four-year PTI, “not a single brick” was laid on the projects initiated by the PML-N government but instead, “a barrage of baseless and awkward allegations were levelled against the opposition leadership.

“Imran Khan was made the prime minister through rigged polls with malfunctioning of the RTS (result transmission system) and the PML-N was deprived of its seats,” he said.

The prime minister maintained that “nothing tangible could be witnessed” contrary to Imran’s claims about a vast network of public welfare projects been initiated during his term.

“Where were those $300 billion they (PTI) claimed were parked abroad,” he remarked, highlighting that “not a single penny” could be brought back.

PM Shehbaz further castigated the PTI chairman for his claims against seeking financial support from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), saying that he had reneged on the agreement with the lender.

The premier said if the people give a mandate to the PML-N in the next general elections, party supremo Nawaz Sharif would be the prime minister and Shehbaz himself would work as “an ordinary worker under my brother’s guidance.

“We, all along with our coalition partners in the government, shall set the country on the path of progress and prosperity,” he declared.

“If the people decided to bring Nawaz to power in the upcoming elections, within a decade, the former prime minister will transform the country to compete with India on the economic fronts,” PM Shehbaz added.

The prime minister assured that if given a chance, he vowed to fight for Pakistan, secure its lost place among the community of nations and “break the begging bowl”.

He opined that such an achievement would not be possible with “witchcraft but by hard work, sincerity, and devotion”.

Shehbaz said his government had distributed Rs100 billion across Pakistan after last year’s devastating floods that affected millions of people.

He reminded that the government had steered the country out of default due to the joint efforts of the coalition government.

The prime minister also announced giving “millions of laptops” to young people if he came to power again, besides the development of the agriculture, natural resources and minerals sectors.

About the hike in prices of electricity, the prime minister maintained that it was not applicable to those consumers using up to 200 units.