MARDAN: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz chief and former prime minister Nawaz Sharif on Friday said his party would turn Pakistan into a new, modern and developed country if the people voted it to power in the next general elections.

Addressing a public meeting here at Mardan Railway Station ground, the PML-N chief said his party gave Pakistan People’s Party the opportunity to complete five-year constitutional term in power to strengthen democratic system in the country, but unfortunately, the government failed to deliver to the misery of the people.

“They (the government) have given the people nothing but suicide attacks, targeted killings, scandals of massive corruption, high inflation and excessive loadshedding. There was no such thing when I was the prime minister of the country,” he said.Mr Sharif said during his term as the prime minister, Pakistan’s rupee was stronger than that of India, while the country’s foreign policy was free from all kinds of foreign pressure.

He said the US offered him $5 billion for not blasting atomic bomb in 1998 and he rejected the offer in the best national interest.

The PML-N chief said his government had planned to build motorway from Karachi to Peshawar and then from Peshawar to Kabul and Tashkent but it was unconstitutionally removed, bringing work on the mega development project to a halt.

He said Pakistan People’s Party, which had been ruling the centre, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, Gilgit-Baltistan and even Azad Jammu and Kashmir for last many years, had failed to provide relief to the people of these areas, while PML-N ruling Punjab had delivered by beginning and completing mega development projects.

“The Punjab government has launched laptop scheme for talented students, Ashiyana housing scheme for the poor, a metro bus service in Lahore, Danish School System for poor students, Sasti Roti Scheme and several other people friendly developmental projects all across the province,” he said.

Mr Sharif said his party had unveiled manifesto for the coming elections to apprise the people of its plans of development in case of coming to power.

“We will build a new, developed and modern Pakistan,” he said.

He said his government would settle the Kashmir dispute and improve ties with Afghanistan.

“We will resolve the problem of loadshedding for good within two years of forming the government in the centre. Loans on easy conditions will be given to educated youths for start of business so that they not only get employed but also provide employment to others. We will also establish industrial zones in Mardan district,” he said.

Khawaja Mohammad Khan Hoti and Pir Sabir Shah also addressed the public meeting and urged the people to vote for PML-N in the next elections for national development and progress.

They said only PML-N could steer the country out of the current political, socioeconomic and security crises and protect it against external threats.

Local party leaders, including Sardar Mehtab Abbasi, Ameer Muqam Khan, Arsala Khan, Saranjam Khan and Subhan Khan, also spoke on the occasion.