THROUGHOUT his election campaign, Nawaz Sharif always said he was asking for votes not because he wanted to be the prime-minister but to be able to serve the people. Now people have reposed their confidence in him and are waiting to see what does he do with the power that people have bestowed upon him.

The first priority of the people is riddance from the ever-increasing loadshedding which has been increased to 18 hours a day in most areas of the country to celebrate his victory.

Perhaps Mr Sharif will say he has not yet assumed power, but can the present care-taker government dare disobey his diktat? certainly not.

The news reports say the finance ministry has released only Rs30million against a demand of Rs150 million for running IPPs at their optimum level and providing relief to the common man.

The ministry says it has no money.But what about the lavish spending on the bigwigs: the president, the prime minister, the governors, central and provincial ministers, those sitting in semi-autonomous organisations like PIA, Pakistan Railways, and secretaries and high and low bureaucracy?

Surely much more than Rs150 million can be generated if these areas are properly investigated. So why shouldn’t these few chosen people be made to live like an average common man for a change, and money thus saved be invested for the comfort of the public?

Let Nawaz Sharif immediately put his weight behind these reforms and produce a speedy relief for the common man.

Unless he does that, we will be forced to conclude that his speeches were hollow.

DR ZAHEER ASGHAR KHAN Lahore