Sharif calls on Punjab to march against 'Ali Baba and 40 thieves'

Shahbaz Sharif accuses federal government for current state of Punjab province.

KASUR: Chief Minister Punjab Shahbaz Sharif on Saturday stepped out of his car and joined demonstrators protesting against loadshedding and called on them to march with him to Islamabad against “Ali Baba and the 40 thieves”.

Shahbaz blamed the federal government for the current state of the province, and alleged that they were doing so on purpose.

“The rulers have sown seeds of hatred against Punjab,” said the chief minister to the angry protesters.

He said that there was loadshedding everywhere in the province because the “federal government wants to take revenge.”

Accusing the president and the prime minister of Pakistan, Shahbaz said, “Yousaf Raza Gilani and Asif Zardari are involved in this. Ali Baba and the 40 thieves are involved in this.”

The chief minister said that it was these people who destroyed Punjab’s economy, giving it a hard-hitting loss of “Rs300 billion” in one year.

Sympathising with the people of Punjab, Shahbaz Sharif said, “Loadshedding has destroyed the cities and villages of Punjab. Hundreds of thousands have become unemployed.”

“The common underprivileged man cannot even feed himself once a day,” he added.

“I stand with you, shoulder to shoulder, for all problems you face,” Shahbaz Sharif told the protesters. “I will walk with you through streets and markets, and together we will chase out Ali Baba and the 40 thieves.”