LAHORE, May 12: PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif threatened on Saturday to join protests against loadshedding if the government failed to solve the problem within four days.

Addressing a public meeting in Khushab, he urged Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani to resign before filing an appeal against the Supreme Court’s verdict against him in a contempt case.

“If the federal government does not put an end to the menace of power loadshedding within four days, I will be on the road along with the masses in protest against the outages.”

He said the PML-N had built the motorway and made the country a nuclear power during its rule despite pressure from the world community, while the PPP had given loadshedding and inflation.

Mr Sharif said his bold decisions had forced India to hold dialogue with Pakistan on the basis of equality.

He said that under his government there was no energy crisis and Pakistan’s currency was stronger than that of India.

He said a conspiracy had been hatched to keep the PML-N out of the 2008 elections by disqualifying him and Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif but it emerged as the second largest party.

He said he had accepted PPP’s mandate for the prosperity and progress of the country but President Asif Zardari had backed out of his promises.

The PML-N chief held the government’s policies responsible for unemployment, price-hike and poverty.

He urged people to support him like they had done in the movement for the restoration of the judiciary so that ‘plunderers and thieves’ could be taken to task.

Referring to the Supreme Court’s verdict against the prime minister, he said the PML-N would not allow the PPP to lead the country to anarchy and lawlessness.

He alleged that the federal government was hatching conspiracies against the Punjab chief minister who was trying to eliminate poverty, unemployment and corruption.

The former prime minister announced a special development package of Rs1 billion for Khushab.

Leader of Opposition in National Assembly Chaudhry Nisar said both the president and the prime minister were ‘convicts’ and as such a cause of shame for the country.

Referring to PTI chief Imran Khan, he said the ‘inexperienced’ tsunami player was misleading people.