MANSEHRA: Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif on Sunday took a new turn overhis respect for vote slogan after getting severe backlash from public andmedia.

He said his party’s slogan ‘respect to vote’ demands respect for the peopleof Pakistan.

“Our call to respect the vote demands respect for the people of Pakistan.This country does not belong to a few people; it belongs to the nation of220 million people,” he said, adding that the citizens of this country arenot slaves.

The Pakistan Muslim League-N supremo (PML-N) was addressing a rally inMansehra in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

In criticism directed towards political rival Imran Khan, chairman ofPakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, Nawaz said ‘*naya* [new] Pakistan’ is onlyvisible in Punjab, as Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Sindh continue to present adreary picture of ‘old Pakistan.’

PTI has claimed to create ‘*naya* Pakistan’ by bringing significant reformsto all public sectors with a special focus on education and health.

The party supremo said that all he saw in KP was pollution.

“Had Shehbaz Sharif been serving as the chief minister of KP, he would haveturned it around like Punjab,” Nawaz told the crowd. “Go to Punjab andwitness the naya [new] Pakistan for yourself.”