ISLAMABAD, Sept 6: Pakistan Muslim League-N Chief and former prime minister Nawaz Sharif has appealed to the nation to observe a complete strike on Friday against, what he said, dictatorship in the country.

In a message from Jeddah on Tuesday, the PML-N chief said observing strike was a democratic right of the people, and asked every leader and worker of the party to make it a success.

Mr Sharif said the Friday’s strike call had the backing of all the major political parties of the country.

He said the people should fully support the opposition parties to get rid of the “unconstitutional and dictatorial” rule which had made their life miserable.

The PML-N leader said the life, property and honour of citizens had become unsafe in Pakistan which was evident from the increasing incidents of rape. He said Mukhtar Mai, Dr Shazia Khalid and Sonia Naz were examples of the lawlessness in the country.

He regretted that wheat, sugar, cement, meat and even vegetables were being imported. He said it was need of the hour that the whole nation should rise against the “dictatorship” and remove the present rulers through strikes and protests.

Meanwhile, local leaders and office-bearers of the PML-N, People’s Party Parliamentarians (PPP) and the Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) on Tuesday held a meeting at the PPP Central Secretariat and chalked out a strategy for the Friday’s strike.

The meeting was attended by PPP MNA Syed Nayyar Bokhari, MMA MNA Mian Mohammad Aslam, PML-N Islamabad president Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry, president PPP Women Wing Islamabad Nargis Faiz Malik and other office-bearers and workers of the opposition parties.