MEHAR – Declaring that PPP has failed the nation, particularly the Sindhis, PML-N leader Nawaz Sharif has said they will change the fate of the country if his party is voted to power.

Nawaz was addressing a huge public gathering on Monday in village Betto Jatoi of Mehar tehsil in Dadu  the home town of former Sindh chief minister Liaquat Ali Jatoi, who announced merger of his newly formed party (Sindh Awami Ittehad) with the PML-N.

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) chief maintained that PPP-led government made tall claims but delivered nothing. ‘Promises made by Pakistan People’s Party can only be seen in their (media) advertisements and not in reality.’

‘Am I being expected to congratulate the government for  price hike, poverty, unemployment and loadshedding?’ Nawaz lamented. People were being butchered in Karachi everyday while the government silently watched the show, he added.

Nawaz criticised PPP for playing the Sindh card often but not doing anything for the people of the province. ‘The people of Sindh lived much better lives four years ago,’ the PML-N chief said, adding that people honoured PPP but it disappointed Sindhi voter in return.

When there was flood in the province, government functionaries were not available. ‘The people of Sindh are still suffering from hunger, poverty, starvation, unemployment and other problems, but there is no government to solve these.’

As people attending the rally chanted ‘Go Zardari Go’, Nawaz told them that there had been enough ‘Go [Zardari] Go’ and now was time to say ‘Come [PML-N] Come’.

He expressed confidence that his party would pick up seats from Sindh in the next general elections, resolving to once again eradicate ‘rule of robbers’ in Sindh as it had done during its government in the past. He said he felt the same pain for Sindh as he experienced for Punjab or any other province of the country.

Nawaz said he himself visited Sindh every week during the devastating floods and brought tonnes of relief goods for the people. ‘What I did for Sindh was not a favour but my responsibility towards the people.’ He said he told Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif not to wait and immediately start relief activities in the flood-hit areas. ‘Shahbaz had sent 1,000 trucks full of necessary items to Sindh right away.’

Highlighting Punjab government’s achievements in the province, Nawaz said his party has served the people after coming to power. Praising his party’s free laptops scheme in Punjab, Nawaz said students of Sindh also deserved computers and should be getting them as well.

Talking about problems in Sindh, Nawaz said deserving students don’t get admission in universities for higher education and people have to bribe authorities to get a job. He added that there is lack of clean working water.

‘If there is a lot of work done in Punjab and not in other provinces, this proves that PML-N is serving its people well… If you want to see similar progress in Sindh, vote for us.’

Addressing the rally, Liaquat Jatoi also criticised the PPP for what he said its closing eyes to the problem of the province. He said the PPP-led government had done nothing for the people. While Punjab chief minister was distributing laptops among thousands of students, the Sindh government was satisfied with mere slogans of development, he added.

Meanwhile, a private TV channel reported that Nawaz Sharif’s convey, while on its way to the public meeting, was attacked by some people, who smashed windowpanes of some vehicles as well.