SUKKUR, Jan 17: Nawaz Sharif, chief of the Pakistan Muslim League-N, has said that all political parties and the nation should close ranks to help resolve the grave political and economic crises.

'No single party can achieve the uphill task and that is why the PML-N is trying to take all political parties on board to steer the country out of crisis,' he said at Pir Jo Goth, which he visited on Tuesday to offer condolences to Syed Sibghatullah Shah on the death of his father, Pir Pagara Shah Mardan Shah.

Mr Sharif said the government had endangered democracy through its wrong policies.

Had the People's Party followed the Charter of Democracy, things would not have come to such a sorry pass, he added.

He blamed the rulers for the present crisis, recalling that he had predicted two years ago that their wrong policies would jeopardise democracy.Mr Sharif said the prime minister should appear before the apex court in the contempt case.

In reply to a question about en masse resignations of PMLN parliamentarians, Nawaz Sharif said this option was on the table.

The PML-N chief claimed the resignation warning had worked as a deterrent for the government as otherwise, it would have been easy for it to get amendment bills of its choice adopted in the National Assembly.

Because of the PML-N presence in the assembly, Mr Sharif asserted, the government had not been able to bring its own accountabilitylaw which would have been discriminatory for others.

In reply to a question, the former prime minister ruled out a takeover by the army.

He said the PML-N was in touch with opposition parties to enlist their cooperation for resoling the crisis.

Nawaz Sharif took a swipe at coalition partners of the PPP, too, accusing them of irresponsible behaviour.

He revealed that days before his death, Pir Pagara had talked to him about unification of different factions of the Muslim League, vowing that 'now it will be my mission to fulfil Pir Sahib's wish' 'I have great admiration for the late Pir Pagara's political acumen and leadership qualities. I hope that his successor Syed Sibghatullah Shah will follow in his footsteps.

Earlier, Pir Pagara Syed Sibghatullah Shah told newsmen that Nawaz Sharif was the only leader to have met his father in hospital.

GHINWA MEETS NAWAZ: Ghinwa Bhutto, chairperson of the PPP-SB, reached Pir Jo Goth at a time when Mr Sharif was offering Fateha for Pir Pagara. The two leaders exchanged pleasantries.

Asadullah Bhutto, the Amir of Jamaat-i-Islami in Sindh, and Mir Hakim Ali Sundrani, a former MPA, also visited PirJo-Goth on Tuesday.

Our Badin correspondent adds: PML-N chief Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif on Tuesday paid tributes to Fazal Rahu. He said the late leader was a man of high values who had reserved his life to serve the down-trodden people without discrimination and fought for the rights of the poor Haris.

Addressing a big gathering at Rahuki on the 25th death anniversary of the founder ofAwami Tahreek and nationalist leader Fazal Rahu, he expressed the hope that the son of late leader Muhammad Ismail Rahu would follow the political ideology of his father.

'I thank Ismail Rahu who gives me an opportunity to meet you people every year, he said and added that people were compelled to live with their children in tents on roadsides after loosing everything in rains.

He said the Punjab government provided tents, ration and health facilities to the flood victims and added the government had failed to serve people.

He said that although Sindh was the home province of President Asif Ali Zardari but its fate remained unchanged and the condition of roads and other infrastructure was bad.

He said dacoits were disturbing the peace so much that the people were unable to move during night time. He said that if his party came into power, it would eliminate crime and bring peace and harmony in the province.

Awami Tahreek leader Ayaz Latif Palijo said the people of Sindh would not tolerate conspiracies against the unity of Sindh and they would struggle till complete provincial autonomy.

Muhammad Aslam Rahu, Soorath Thebo of ladies wing of the PML-N, Zain Ansari and Nehal Hashim also spoke on the occasion.

Earlier, the meeting passed resolutions demanding arrest of the killers of Benazir Bhutto, appointment of an independent election commission and early elections. Sardar Zulfiqar Ali Khoso, Saleem Zia, Syed Ghous Ali Shah and Munir Bhurgari were also present in the meeting.