PATTOKI:Chief Minister of Punjab Shehbaz Sharif, in his first address as the new PML-N president said his party would win the upcoming general elections and promised roads, parks and a university to the large crowd gathered at the Pattoki cricket ground on Tuesday.
"Nawaz Sharif's party presidency was snatched, but our love for him remains."
Shehbaz criticisedthe PTI chief and said he has lied to the people and the Orange Line Metro train project was also delayed due to him adding that that after criticising the metro project for so long now he was building one in KP himself.
"Imran Khan has lied to the people for the last four and a half years," said the Punjab chief minister.
"He [Imran] had claimed that he would create multiple dams in KP, but he did not make any. He is also now building the metro project which he had criticisedrepeatedly," said Shehbaz.
Shehbazsaid he had sent a defamation notice of billions of rupees to Imran, but the PTI chairman never once came to court.
He added that he will now plead the chief justice to create a larger bench for the case to be heard.
Shehbaz, reiterating his government's performance in Punjab, said the provincial government has improved the medical infrastructure of Punjab."We have installed CT scan machines to facilitate the poor."
He also said the government will continue to improve upon educational institutions and improve the infrastructure of the country.
"The government fulfilled its promise and ended loadsheddingin the country," further said the provincial chief executive.
Shifting his focus to Karachi, the newly selected PML-N president said that if the metropolis votes for PML-N, the party will ensure "Karachi becomes the next Lahore".
"Karachi used to be known as the city of lights, now it has garbage on every street," said the new PML-N president. He also lamented the condition of public transport in Karachi.
After Nawaz Sharif's disqualification as party head, the ruling party electedShehbazas its interim president at a meeting of the central working committee (CWC) in Lahore today.
Starting his political career as president of Lahore Chamber of Commerce in 1985, Shehbaz was first elected as the member of the provincial assembly in 1988.
In 1990, he was elected as a member of the National Assembly and then again as a provincial assembly member in 1993.
Shehbaz first became the chief minister of Punjab after being elected as an MPA in 1997.
He was first elected as the PML-N president during exile in 2002, due to the registration of cases against Nawaz. In 2006, he was again elected as the party president.
The younger Sharif became the chief minister of Punjab for the second time, after being elected to the Punjab Assembly in a by-election in 2008.
Shehbaz took over the office of the Punjab CM for the third time following his party's victory in 2013.