Talking to journalists after a party meeting in Murree, Nawaz said that instead of providing relief to the common man, people in the government were busy trying to protect their looted wealth stashed in Swiss banks. - Photo by APP.

Talking to journalists after a party meeting here, he said that instead of providing relief to the common man, people in the government were busy trying to protect their looted wealth stashed in Swiss banks.

He urged the government to remove NRO-tainted ministers and take immediate steps to bring down prices, overcome power shortage, stop target killings and set up a system free of corruption.

Mr Sharif criticised the import of expensive rental power plants and alleged that the matter involved 'heavy corruption'.

He said PIA, Steel Mills and other national institution must be freed from 'looters'.

He called for austerity measures in the budget to solve people's problems.

The PML-N chief urged the government to try murderers of Baloch nationalist leader Nawab Akbar Bugti, people involved in the May 12, 2007, killings in Karachi and those guilty of taking unconstitutional steps on Nov 3, 2007.

He said parliament was supreme and all institutions, including judiciary, parliament and army, should work within their constitutional limits.

Answering a question about his earlier statement in which he had described President Asif Ali Zardari as the “biggest threat to democracy”, Mr Sharif said he was for democracy and no individual or his actions posed a threat to democracy.

He said he had signed the Charter of Democracy with the late Benazir Bhutto and later an agreement with President Zardari in Murree for a better and democratic Pakistan but bad policies of the Pakistan People's Party shattered the dream.

He urged the government to solve the problems of people affected by he Hunza lake.

He said the PML-N had discussed the sensitive issue of Hazara and would announce its decisions soon.

Mr Sharif parried a question about appointment of new army chief.

In reply to a question, he said a solution to the issue of bringing intelligence agencies under civilian control had been suggested in the Charter of Democracy.

He also said that whosoever was responsible for detaining 'missing people' must be made answerable to courts.