Awam Pakistan Party (APP) convener Shahid Khaqan Abbasi said on Friday that Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Nawaz Sharif should step up for the country's sake.

Speaking to media in Rawalpindi, Abbasi said: "It is not clear who has authority today. Despite talks being held about the canals, no one is talking about resolving the water crisis."

"Neither Punjab nor Sindh is getting the water supply. The situation prevailing in both provinces is concerning. The system of running the government has changed in the past years," said Abbasi.

He said: "Nawaz Sharif is the most seasoned politician in the country's history. Who will take up the responsibility of playing an instrumental role for the country's sake, if not Nawaz Sharif? After all, his [Nawaz Sharif's] party is in power."

"It sounds weird that Nawaz Sharif remains silent," he said.

Abbasi stated: "Nobody can defeat any politician or political party other than the masses."

"The minus-plus system is no longer relevant now," he said.

Taking a swipe at the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Abbasi urged Imran Khan to "improve" himself as a politician, saying, “There is nothing good to talk about his [Imran Khan's] tenure.”

He lashed out at former Punjab chief minister Usman Buzdar, saying, "The Usman Buzdar-led government in Punjab was the most corrupt government ever to come into power."

Schooling the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government, Abbasi said: "The corrupt government has been ruling KP for the last 12 years."

"The PTI government has not spent any money on development despite having its government in the centre for the last four years," said the former prime minister.

He said: "What use is the masses' popularity if he [Imran Khan] looks to repeat the same actions as he did in his previous government?"

Speaking about the country's economic situation, Abbasi said: "The country's economic growth is still experiencing a negative trend."

"The poor continue to become even poorer," he said.

Abbasi said, "What does the common person have to do with the stock market?"

"It is not a success to take loans," he said.

"How will the country's economy lead to progression if the government imposes a 62 per cent tax on companies?" said Abbasi.