December 24, 2007	Monday	Zilhaj 13, 1428

LAHORE, Dec 23: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Mian Shahbaz Sharif has said that the government would not be able to dent his party’s vote bank and Nawaz Sharif would wind up the political career of President Pervez Musharraf instead.

Addressing a meeting of party candidates and workers at his Model Town office here on Sunday, Shahbaz urged the people to rise against the rulers to ensure independence of the judiciary and media because it was a pre-requisite for peace and justice.

He said that foul play had become the trademark of the current rulers who were making ghost polling stations and bogus identity cards to rig the elections but the people would not allow them to steal their vote.

He said that economic policies of the government had filled the coffers of the rulers but forced the people to starve. Flour available for Rs6 per kg during Nawaz Sharif’s tenure from 1997 to 1999 was now being black-marketed at Rs20 per kg and the price of bread (roti) had increased from 50 paisas to Rs4 per loaf.

He said the PML-N would be reorganised after the elections and workers offering sacrifices for the restoration of democracy would be given important offices. The party would honour those workers who had stood by it during past eight years but would throw out who had betrayed it, he added. He said that he would himself visit the houses of those workers who had been arrested and imprisoned during their struggle for democracy and rule of law.

Meanwhile, addressing a public meeting in Gulshan-i-Ravi area, PML-N candidate for PP-149 Rana Mashhood Ahmed Khan said that the military ruler had played havoc with the judiciary and the media to prolong his “unconstitutional rule”.

He said that every Pakistani supported Nawaz Sharif’ stand on independence of the judiciary and restoration of real democracy instead of “khaki democracy”.

He said the dictator had disfigured the constitution and pushed the country into a political and economic crisis only to protect his vested interests and it was duty of the media to expose the hollow policies of the rulers.