MARDAN, Dec 3: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz President Nawaz Sharif on Monday said Kalabagh dam could not be built without developing nationwide consensus.

He was addressing a news conference here at the hujra of former federal minister Khawaja Mohammad Khan Hoti, who announced to join the PML-N along with his son, Umar Farooq Hoti, there.

The PML-N chief said the law and order situation in the country was worsening with every passing day and the people were being killed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, Sindh and other parts of the country due to bad governance.

He said suicide bombings had become a routine in the country and the bad policies of the General Musharraf regime and the current government were to blame for it.

Mr Nawaz said the ruling PPP and its coalition partners were responsible for security crisis in Karachi, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.

He said he and his party was not fighting for power and rather they were striving for the people’s welfare and the country’s development.

The PML-N chief said compared with today, the country’s law and order and economic situations were much better when General Musharraf ousted his government in 1999.

He said there was electricity shortage in the country when he returned home from exile in 2007.

Mr Nawaz said Pakistan was much stronger than India in 1999 when currency, job opportunities, industry sector, education and health facilities were a better position compared with other Saarc countries. He said the people received inflated power bills though they were provided with electric supply at home and workplaces for short time.

The PML-N chief said Pakistan had large resources but the rulers were unable to make use of them for prosperity.

He said whosoever violated the law and the Constitution should be punished. Mr Nawaz said Baloch leader Akbar Bugti was a patriotic politician but he was killed. He added that Bugti and his family supported Pakistan when it came into existence in 1947.He said the successive governments in the country pursued specific agenda. He asked the people to elect better and sincere leadership in the next elections.

“I will lead Pakistan to prosperity and success if the people elect me to power,” he said.

The PML-N chief said he would put Pakistan again on the track of development after forming the government.

He said his party had formed the government in the centre twice but were stopped from completing term on both occasions by the army.

“We would have carried out mega development work like construction of Motorway had we been allowed to complete five-year term in office,” he said.

Mr Nawaz welcomed Khawaja Hoti and his son to PML-N and said their arrival would strengthen the party in the province.