MANSEHRA, March 24: The leaders of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz are striving to arrange a big public meeting for their central chief Mian Mohammad Nawaz Sharif, who is scheduled to kick off his party’s election campaign from Hazara division on Monday.

“We are making all-out effort to hold the biggest public meeting in the history of Hazara. We will achieve the target as people are with us,” Saleh Mohammad Khan, PML-N provincial vice president, told journalists here on Sunday.

PML-N had lost its stronghold Hazara following supporting a move initiated by Awami National Party through 18th Amendment to rename NWFP as Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in 2010.

Mr Sharif will address a public meeting in Mansehra to launch election campaign of his party. His son-in-law Mohammad Safdar, Gen (retired) Salahuddin Tirmazi and Sardar Mohammad Yousuf are active in Mansehra and PML-N provincial chief Pir Sabir Shah in Haripur while central leader Sardar Mehtab Abbasi is working in Abbottabad to take a large number of people to Mansehra for the public meeting.

The political scene of Hazara division, particularly Mansehra district, has been changed after Sardar Mohammad Yousuf has joined PML-N. Mr Yousuf has strong backing of his tribe and he and his son Sardar Shahjehan Yousuf had been winning a National Assembly seat from NA-20 constituency for the last two decades.

“We are a in strong position and will sweep the upcoming elections everywhere in country and in Hazara,” said Mr Khan.

He said that people were fed up with the corruption, mismanagement, lawlessness and bad governance by Pakistan People’s Party and Awami National party at centre and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa respectively.

Addressing different public gatherings in his constituency, NA-21, in connation with the arrival of Mr Sharif, Mr Safdar said that people would reject ANP, JUI-F and PPP in the upcoming general elections.

“Mr Sharif is going to launch his party’s election campaign from here (Mansehra) and you should come forward to strengthen his hands to prove that Hazara is still a stronghold of PML-N,” said Mr Safdar while speaking at a public gathering in Shinkiari on Sunday.

Sardar Yousuf, who joined PML-N recently, also spoke in Shinkiari and said that nobody could dare to come in their way as PML-N was going to address the resentment of people on the issue of Hazara province in the meeting.

“We are still following our agenda of Hazara province and we have included it in PML-N manifesto. Now PML-N will give Hazara the status of a province,” said Mr Yousuf.