KARACHI:Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Shahbaz Sharif on Sunday said that all parties will have to unite for the cause of democracy and stressed on the need for respect for all provinces. Shahbaz was addressing a press conference in Karachi following a visit to Balochistan National Party (BNP) chief Akhtar Mengal to offer condolences on the demise of his father Ataullah Mengal. The PML-N president said that if Pakistan wishes to see Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah’s dream come to fruition, then “we will have to take all provinces forward together economically, legally and politically.” Speaking of the long-neglected Balochistan province, he called for an immediate provision of resources to it to end its state of deprivation. “Geographically, Balochistan is Pakistan’s largest province. It may be the smallest population wise, but when you look at its state of deprivation, the distances between places […] there is a water problem there, electricity problem,” he said, before pausing to state that he does not wish to get into politics at the moment. He also paid tribute to the late Ataullah Mengal, noting that his role in abolishing Article 58-2B of the Constitution — which had been used to dissolve many governments — had been instrumental. Following the press conference, he met leaders of the PML-N Karachi division, including PML-N Sindh President Shah Muhammad Shah and Miftah Ismail. Ahsan Iqbal, Khawaja Saad Rafique and Ataullah Tarar were also in attendance. Shahbaz also met the PML-N councillors who won in the cantonment board elections. During the meeting, Sindh’s political situation and matters pertaining to the party’s affairs in the province were discussed. He is expected to chair a meeting of the PML-N in Karachi today.
