Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif said on Saturday that those who brought the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief into power were equally ''responsible'' for the country’s woes.

Addressing the workers’ convention in Sialkot, the former prime minister said: ‘’Khawaja Asif’s father was a very nice person, and he really loved me a lot and respected him a lot. I have my friendship with Khawaja Asif from the college days’’.

‘’I have seen many difficult times. I was in power and also faced conflicts of interest. I probably faced more sentences and cases than the number of years of ruling. The political vendetta the PML-N had faced in 2017 has now ended. But I don’t know what the reason was,’’ the former premier added.

He said, ‘’My government was toppled without any reason. We ourselves had dragged our country to the quagmire’’.

‘’How can the country run if the prime ministers are sent to jail?'' the former prime minister rued.

Nawaz Sharif said, ‘’In 2017, the country was leading towards prosperity. The rupee was stable against the dollar and was at Rs104. The rates of flour and sugar were stable. The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) was leading towards a boost’’.

He stated, ‘’The country was witnessing no inflation in 2017. The people were getting all the facilities, like health. The country’s youth had the facilities of education.

‘’What was the need to hatch a conspiracy against us? The representatives of millions were toppled,’’ he rued.

The former premier said: ‘’This country was and is quite beautiful, and we could have made it paradise’’.

Underscoring the people’s potential, Nawaz Sharif said, ‘’Take the example of Sialkot; the city has the potential to steal the spotlight.’’

He recalled, ‘’Why the elections were rigged.’’

The former prime minister took an indirect dig at the PTI chief, saying, ‘’Such a person was imposed, who used foul language. Those who brought him into the power were equally responsible.’’

‘’Now we cannot afford repetitive mistakes. There is a pain in my heart that we were heading but now we drag ourselves. We cannot hand over the country to those who harm our country’s culture.

The former premier said: ‘’We had never compromised on the country’s interest’’.

He said, ‘’The airport in Sialkot will be up to the mark. There is potential in Sialkot to surpass records in terms of exports.

Nawaz Sharif said, ‘’I am very hopeful that I will meet you again in Sialkot during the election campaign’’.