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.”
COMMENTS (71)
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Here is what happened: Although Altaf didn't bring all he promised to his constituents but one thing his team is good-at is recognizing & scrutinizing the unfavorable Policies made in the Capital. As a matter of fact they also compromised their stand when it comes to the overall benefit of the poor of Sindh. They are reaping the reward resulted in better economic conditions. Our PMLn's All-or-Nothing policy was already doomed from the birth. He sadly Preferred his own victory at the cost of his People.
Not just Nawaz & his brother made irreversible judgement blunders due to the poor eyesight and strategic depth, they actually signed away their constituents' benefits(for nothing). Why? Who helped MQM & PPP? Here is another secret: Only because the way their parties are made to function they use more Number of Brains for on each Problem Solving & Decision Making then PMLn did. Ofcourse with less emotional hatred but more reasoning & openness. It's as simple as that.@Ahmad: Your Dream Sir!!
@Sohail: Because, they are part of this whole Drama. When Khadem-e-Ala can import Waste Management from Turkey, he could have talked to China for support of power generation.
@stenson: You are right, 90% of the development is only taking place in Lahore because it can be seen and published with little effort. The real poor, voiceless and destitute live outside Lahore where not much of a show can be arranged. Imagine if all this bridge-making, Laptop-giving money that runs in billions if had been put to use for those living in rural areas every 1000 rupee spent on them could have change more lives than on already-fed city people.
@ayaz bukhari(awaz e sindh): Yes the whole of Pakistan knows that the only province where there peace and stability is Punjab. This is due to the efforts of Shahbaz Sharif. Go and compare Lahore or any city in Punjab to cities in Sind and you will know that development is taking place because CM Punjab works for the people of the province.
@Tariq: What is the source of your data. What about other provinces? What about their contribution to economy? What about the infrastructure requirements?
Lets talk numbers.....Punjab requires more than 10,000 MW of Energy and produces only 1700 , How many MWs Shahbaz Sharif has produced??
Well, the choice is with the Pakistanis to replace Ali Baba one with Ali Baba two or elect an Ali Baba with a clean image but again with 40 thieves.
As someone already pointed out, this is noora kushti.
@Umer: You are shamelessly & unfortunately mis-informed, Sindh is infact providing all the gas to Sindhís, only from Sunday 9am to Monday 9am does gas go off, and that too only for industries, which btw don't work on Sundays 99% of the time, please correct your information. Thank Punjab for providing Karachi 700MW electricity through NTDC.
Ali baba was good person. I think CM has to say we have to make long march against all nimroods and firaoun.
With you Shehbaz Sharif on this.
Ali Baba was the good guy but he stole the looted wealth from the forty thieves, not to give it back to the owners, but to pocket it himself! Alas, Ali Baba and the forty thieves were up to no good. You can draw parallels with our country. Come what may, Ali Baba or the Fort thieves, the looted wealth will never go back to the owners.
@Rajendra Kalkhande: Ali Baba is the Avatar of the people of Pakistan and Fourty Theives are the Leaders of it's Political Parties who Rob it whenever they get a chance. Marjeena! (Not Marzina, that would mean a sick female who has a "marz")! Hai Marjeena! We don't have Marjeena among us to kill the Thieves in the Drums. Possibly a lover threw acid on her or killed her during Domestic Violence. Now who is protecting the wealth of the People? Whoever comes to help is actually another Robber in Disguise. We need Marjeena and her Love and Wit to save her Master__ the people of Pakistan.
@Sohail: he had been stressing to generate electricity from coal and sugarcane (2000MW)... see his video on his page and u'll get answer of ur Question: https://www.facebook.com/#!/photo.php?v=179092402219045
@Dr.X: he is the only guy in pakistan actually working... u should see the clips of his prog with talat hussain (on his fb page) and u'll et to know wht punjab govt is doing for electricity... SS is working day night for 2000MW generation from sugarcanes waste
Last time SS gave this call for long march but it ended up in him sitting besides the PM in the serene energy conference, by which time all long march threats were forgiven. Don't think this is much more than that...
Mr.Shariff stop taking two joys in one ticket.On one side PML(N) is in government in Punjab and has become the part of the problem by sticking to power corridors whereas also trying to lure the people.
Leave the governmentif you can not run the country.people of Pakistan will have suffer if the load shedding continues. Th highest bill paying areas are the most affected.
after calling them to march to Islamabad, he stepped back in his air conditioned car and drove off lolz!
@Ahsan: "last i heard ali baba was the good guy! not the leader of the theives" correct. An important role was played by a lady called Marzina to identify the thieves and then kill them one by one. Who is going to be the Alibaba and Marzina of Pakistan to nail the 40 thieves? Any guess? Is Imran khan going to be the Alibaba with or without Marzina?
Both brothers are talking about long march. Does their health allows this adventure or they will move in a bullet proof air conditioned cars and the rest of the hypnotized rabbits will follow them in scorching heat. I think they are too much scared from the popularity of Mr.Imran Khan. I don't think that these Double Shahs of Politics will be able to bag more than 20-25 seats both in the National Assembly and Provincial Assembly in the coming elections provided they are ever held.
@Khurram:
Sindh doesn’t provide gas to its own people and give it to Punjab. Where is the thanks for that? What is Punjab giving in return to Sindh? Punjab is looting resources from Sindh and other provinces 24/7 and yet has nothing good to say about them. Sindh should stop all gas and revenue to Punjab as well as use of ports for Imports and Exports and let Punjab live with its own resources. Hopefully this would be a good lesson to the thankless Punjabis.
Besides load shedding Wapda is playing another game. They include some adjustment amount of the last year in the current electricity bill. Another corruption is that the bills are delivered just one day before the due date. I received my recent bill in the evening of 25th May, 2012 Friday. The office of Wapda is closed on Saturday and Sunday and the due date falls on Monday. So no chance left to ask the Wapda for this Adjustment charges. This is their BUDMASHI. In fact all the customers are fed up with the policies of Wapda so far as the preparation of electricity bills are concerned. But they can't complain the authorities concerned who flatly refuse to tell the factual position of such adjustment charges. I think rather am sure that it's all due to lose control of the present Corrupt Government which have made all the departments more corrupt. Allah may guide them to adopt the right path to run the Government smootly and efficiently. Aameen!
after 19th amendment, Provincial governments can produce electricity on their own. Khadim-e-Aala please care to tell us why your government has failed to produce electricity in punjab?
Thanks to PPP, Sindh has fewer hours of load shedding. Sindhis will never forget this blessing that came in the form of 18 th amendment that allowed provinces to use their resources to fulfill their own needs. Hail Zardari!
Punjab government tried to start many power projects like power from biofuel (with the help of sugar mills) and not to forget those projects for which Punjab has payed heavy demurrage on it. http://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2011/08/28/news/national/900mw-projects-in-punjab-delayed-due-to-corruption-says-shahbaz/
The Punjab Chief Minister appears to have picked up the slogan of 'Ali Baba and 40 thieves' from my comment made on ET yesterday.
He will do nothing. He's just a valve to release pressure gradually out of any public sentiment. His party has successfully taken the steam out of Memo, and PM's contempt issue. Their only purpose in life is not to let PTI take any benefit of the situation.
@Shoaib: Your endorsement of Shahbaz Sharif means nothing. In fact, Shahbaz Sharif agreed in the council of common interests that the province that produces something will have the first right. And it is according to that formula the electricity is being distributed. Don't blame others for what he lost on a bargain table. Someone has said correctly about PML-N that they think after acting, and this attitude is the main reason behind the state of affairs in Punjab.
@ Dr.X, @shoaib and @usman.
Let us be clearer... Soft corner shown by Nawaz Sharif is about demand for resignation of PM. Shahbaz Sharif's protest is against systematic destruction of Punjab economy, through load shedding.
Ali Baba and forty thieves fable is quoted to draws some similarity of group activity aimed at harming Punjab.
So PMLN will march against itself?
SS calls for Long March... what a joke... if he is serious then he must resign first from the assembly and then ppl will follow him..otherwise its another mimicry to dissolve the impression that Turk premier has settle down the conflict b/w PPP and PML-N..
@Usman: Dont convert it into an Ethnic Issue and stop Defending this that it is alright that energy supplies are cut for Punjab. Punjab is the back bone of Pakistan and when Punjab goes down whole Pakistan will go down. Punjab supports more than 65 percent of the total GDP of Pakistan. Punjab is the bread basket of pakistan. So dont say it is alright against Punjabis to cut their power but it is like cutting the throat of Pakistani Economy. Also dont take Anti Punjabi stance so far that Punjab will talk about Separation from the rest of Pakistan and will talk about their Separate entity as well.
PML N is now sowing seeds of hatred in Sindh through Marvi Memon, What PML N has done for the people of Punjab ? Only blame Game.
@Sohail: because Punjab government requires Sovereign guarantees by the federal government for the foreign investors as billions of dollars of investment needs guarantee and Federal Government dont give these guarantees for the province of Punjab because Opposition is there. Federal Government is giving these same guarantees to Sindh Government and you can see Wind Mills establishment there but again It is the same discrimination that is being seen against Punjab there as well.
govt only seems to excist in punjab... he is doing good job. pml-n is on course to bring change.
Let Sharifs come out of assemblies and CM house and join ordinary people, if they are sincere to the country and people.
This is not discrimination against Punjab. If the economy needs to be kept running then you have to take some extreme measures. Sindh, generates highest revenue for Pakistan, but lacks proper infrastructure. It is no longer possible for countries to remain dependent on one specific province for revenues. It has become essential to have several provinces and make each capable of becoming independent. Unfortunately politicians are addicted to playing dirty games in my country, Pakistan. Time has come for Pakistanis to realize that there is no such thing as free-lunch anymore.
Unfortunately here our country every one plays his role as catalyst to increase the anger of the nation but never try to have deep look on the problems they all try to make them in their favour to blackmail the functional government we request to all them that please resolve the pressure covalently so that the problems could be resolved instead of to increase the violation in the country..
So what about the claim most punjabis make, "Punjabis are better people and Punjab always sacrifices for small provinces" ... This is first time ever that Punjab is being discriminated and they are behaving the same way as the people from smaller provinces do ... So, you also forget "One Unit" when feel discriminated!
@geeko: Punjab has done well under Shahbaz Sharif who has lead the province to its stability and prosperity. However it is clear that no matter how much good work he has done for Punjab, the Federal government has been trying to undermine development in the Punjab. The energy crisis is mostly a Federal issue. Zardari can argue that Musharraf did nothing to add energy to the national grid in his 9 year rule but Zardari has had over 4 years now to try to fix things.
@Shoaib: and what does the "Ali baba and 40 thieves" mean??
@Dr.X: Those protests were against Prime minister Gailani and these protest are against the loadshedding issue and there is no comparison in these two.
He should be more precise, this statement can be returned against him and his party.
@ST: Noora kuhsti is actually between PTI and ppp and MQM and ANP.
I'm sorry but I don't buy this. Maybe because I just read about PML-N calling off their anti-govt protests. Please decide for once which side you are on.
http://tribune.com.pk/story/384430/movement-halted-pml-n-calls-off-anti-govt-rallies/
Shahbaz Sharif will be the next Prime Minister of Pakistan....Inshallah!!
another noora kushti
I agree with Shahbaz Sharif on this issue. There is a pure discrinination against Punjab industrial regions to cripple them foreever and in summer they are cutting electricity and in winter they cut our gas supplies.
i totally agreed with SS on this issue