LAHORE, Feb 9: PML-N President Shahbaz Sharif for the first time directly targeted Chaudhrys of Gujrat in the maiden public meeting of the party in the city on Saturday.

Speaking to a large gathering at Kahna, he criticised former chief minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi for getting constructed a new CM House at a cost of Rs2 billion, and announced that if voted to power the PML-N would convert the structure into a university.

Mr Sharif, also a former chief minister, alleged embezzlement of billions of rupees by the PML-Q, and swore to recover the national wealth after taking reigns of the country.

He warned the police for registering fake cases against PML-N activists, otherwise, they would be taken to the task after polls.

Discarding the claims of development by the former ruling party, he said flour, power and gas crises as well as the deteriorating law and order situation spoke volumes for the welfare projects initiated by the former rulers.

Referring to doling out money by the PML-Q nominees to voters, especially Christian community, the PML-N leader said the people should accept the money as it was theirs and had been plundered from national kitty but urged them to vote for his party if they wanted return of a peaceful and prosperous society.

He regretted that the unscrupulous elements, which had been in prisons during his time, were now roaming around freely and rather ruling the streets. Mr Sharif urged the people to show the same enthusiasm on Feb 18 which they were displaying during the public meeting so that a new era of prosperity, justice and peace could be set in.

He flayed President Musharraf for imprisoning deposed chief justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry and other brother judges besides lawyers only because they were applying balm to the wounds of those who could not get justice due to the influence of certain quarters.

Earlier, the PML-N president was accorded a warm welcome when he reached the venue. He was scheduled to address another public meeting in the city (Shahdara) late in the evening.