LAHORE: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President and Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday said that it is often before the elections that opportunists ally themselves according to their individual interests but those who really want to serve the public with loyalty are now firmly standing like a solid rocks and are facing every sort of pressure.
He was addressing a meeting of parliamentarians and party workers belonging to Multan and Bahawalpur divisions in Islamabad. PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif, federal ministers, Hamza Shehbaz, Maryam Nawaz and other party office-bearers were present on the occasion.
Addressing the meeting, Shehbaz said that Imran Khan’s recent gathering was a failure from every respect as compared to the gathering of 2011 because participation of locals was negligible and public’s passion was also missing. In this meeting, only the candidates aspiring for tickets brought the people along which is a proof of unsuccessful politics of Imran, he added.
Shehbaz said that due to the sit-ins, lockdown, civil disobedience and politics of anarchy, Chinese president’s visit to Pakistan was postponed, resulting in delaying of mega projects and obstructions being created in the development process. He said that Nawaz rejected the offer of Bill Clinton to the tune of five billion dollars and showed valor and bravery by making six explosions in response to five atomic explosions. He made the national defense impregnable and the country achieved the goal of development under his vision, he added.
He disclosed that Nawaz was advised that this amount could be utilised for national development but he replied that such development was meaningless when national defense was not strengthened and Pakistan could not talk to India equally.
The chief minister said that China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project was started under Nawaz’s leadership and in addition to it, Sahiwal Coal Power Plant, a 1300-megawatt power project at Port Qasim and completion of similar energy projects in the record period of time are achievements which have helped to solve the nation’s problems, he added.
He said that Nawaz had tremendously served the nation, adding that his bravery, courage and determination will bear fruit and the party will achieve a wonderful victory in the upcoming elections. He also said that despite many hiccups and uncertain situation, the GDP growth ratio has remained 5.8 per cent. It is highest during the last 13 years, he added.
He further said that the agriculture sector has shown a growth rate of 3.8 per cent. It has been made possible due to the provision of subsidised fertilisers, interest-free loans and subsidy on electrical tube-wells, he added.
The chief minister said that 2018 belongs to the PML-N, adding that the party will achieve success due to its public service records. He talked about his visits to Karachi, Peshawar and Mardan and said that the people of Karachi have thanked Nawaz for bringing back peace in their cities. The people said that they are thankful to him and will never forget his services, he added.
He said that he has been welcomed at every point during his visits to Peshawar and Mardan, adding that the people in both the provinces are disappointed in the leadership of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) as they have done nothing in their respective provinces. He also said that Imran had lied day and night and levelled allegations against others but now the nation will hold him accountable for his deeds. He further said that Imran claimed in a meeting that he will never speak lies but he has set records of speaking lies during the last five years, adding that the nation will take stock of his performance now. They brought the people to Lahore from across the country by spending money but these people have become PML-N’s voters after seeing the composite development in the city of Lahore, he concluded.
He said those who have talked about eleven points consisting of education, health and agriculture in Lahore rally should first account for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP). He asked that Imran has now realised how important the public is but where was he five years ago. The people will bury the politics of falsehood, lies, deceit, allegations and sit-in once and for all in the elections of 2018, he added.
