February 23, 2008	Saturday	Safar 15, 1429

MANSEHRA, Feb 22: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Quaid Mian Nawaz Sharif has said that President Musharraf should respect the mandate of 160 million people of the country and step down in the larger interest of the country.

The PML-N president was speaking on the occasion of offering Fateha on the death of the mother of his son-in-law Capt (R) Safdar here on Friday.

His brother and former chief minister Punjab, Mian Shahbaz Sharif, Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, Captain Safdar and Lt Gen (R) Salahuddin Tirmizi were also present on the occasion.

Mian Nawaz Sharif said: “President Musharraf had started rigging when he kept me and my brother Shabaz Sharif out of the election process but despite all this Muslim League-N secured major chunk of the seats in the National and four provincial assemblies adding:

“If we were allowed to contest the election, PML-N would have bagged (much) more National and provincial assembly seats.”

He added: “We will support the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) in the centre and in return we have demanded the restoration of the deposed judges and we will do so to restore the true image of the nation which tarnished due to the ‘unconstitutional and unlawful’ act of deposing the honourable judges of the apex courts by President Musharraf.”

The PML-N chief said that the coalition government of PPP and PML-N will be truly peoples’ government and will work according to the wishes and mandate of the masses.

“We will set-up a national consensus government which will not work under the dictatorship of a person and the US, as due to all this Pakistan is on the brink of collapse, but we will save it. Pakistan will get its name restored in the international community.”

Mr Sharif said that unemployment, price hike and poverty will be brought down for the betterment of the people.