SHARQPUR: Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday urged the people to consider the facts involving pathetic and poor performance of corruption tainted government of Pakistan Teheek-i-Insaf (PTI) with that of Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) which he claimed had always been the pioneer of mega development projects.
The prime minister was addressing a ceremony after foundation stone-laying of different significant development projects which included 19Kms long Lahore bypass linking Kala Shah Kaku with Lahore-Karachi Motorway at a cost of Rs35 billion. The project will create about 27,000 jobs opportunities.
He said they would accept public mandate in the upcoming general elections and if the PML-N under the leadership of Nawaz Sharif got another opportunity to serve the country, they would restore the real image of Pakistan.
The prime minister also broke ground for expansion of Lahore-Karachi Motorway Saggian road and main Ravi bridge which would ease vehicular traffic, help save fuel and create jobs opportunities. Later, he also laid foundation stones of Esaan (Sharqpur) interchange at Abdul Hakeem Motorway and the establishment of Quaid Azam University campus and soft launch of construction of a scout college.
Declaring former prime minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif as ‘a builder of Pakistan, man behind ending loadshedding, launching of multi dollars China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects and a builder of a vast network of roads and putting the country on path of rapid progress, he said Nawaz Sharif aspired to transform the country into ‘an Asian tiger’.
Unfortunately, his rule was ended in 2018 through a huge conspiracy hatched against Pakistan, the prime minister regretted.
If the PML-N was in the government during the four years of PTI’s rule, the country would have a different destiny, he added.
During the years 2013 to 2018, under Nawaz Sharif’s rule the country was making progress by leaps and bounds, but afterwards in the PTI’s government, the country was pushed into chaos.
The prime minister said with a change in the regime, all the opposition leadership was sent to jails on basis of fake cases, false allegations of thefts and corruption were levelled, even sisters and daughters were sent behind bars during the PTI’s rule.
“The development pace spurred by PML-N government was halted,” he regretted.
The prime minister also questioned Imran Niazi’s claims of returning back 300 billion dollars stashed outside Pakistan within ninety days and said the PTI’s government did not get any single penny during the four years of its rule.
Referring to Rs50 billion amount recovery scandal, he said, the UK National Crime Agency (NCA) had investigated the issue and after out of court settlement with the other party, decided to return the amount to the government exchequer but it did not go to State Bank of Pakistan rather went to the Supreme Court where Niazi’s government became a party.
A closed envelop was presented before the cabinet in this regard without showing or discussing it with the members and approval was accorded, he added.
“It was a huge crime as to how the national exchequer was plundered,” he said, adding the BRT Peshawar, Toshakhana, Malam Jabba, sugar scams etc were the other major corruption cases of PTI.
The prime minister said the UK crime agency had also carried out investigation against him for two years over false allegations and at the request of PTI’s government but later, gave him clean chit.
Citing difficulties regarding the IMF’s agreement, the prime minister said China, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates stood with Pakistan like rocks.
He said that he could not sleep due to fears of Pakistan being at the verge of default, but with the grace of Allah Almighty, Pakistan was now, on its right direction.
The ceremony was attended by ministers, parliamentarians, relevant authorities and a large number of people.
The prime minister said that under his Youth’s programmes about Rs80 billion were set aside and exclaimed that if the government had more resources, he would not hesitate to allocate them for the country’s youth.
He said under the laptops scheme, the students were given the gadgets due to their hard work. Due due to this facility, a huge number of youth had been earning livelihood and getting education while sitting at homes, he added.
The prime minister declared that if the PML-N got another opportunity to serve the country, they would spread a network of laptops.
He further said that price hike had burdened the poor people, but these difficulties could be overcome with collective hard work, dedication and sincerity.
The prime minister also underlined the priorities of his government including agriculture development, information technology, exploration of minerals etc to achieve progress.
He reiterated that life could no longer be led on foreign loans and stressed that the country people have to decide whether to live with respect or on begging.
Referring to the soft launch of uplift projects in the area, he expressed the confidence that it would uplift facade of the area and ease traffic vehicular traffic, besides boosting trade activities.
Minister for Communications Maulana Asad Mahmood, in his remarks, said that the coalition government was continuously working for the uplift of the country.
They had formed government through a constitutional struggle and strove to save it from default, restored development projects and completed them within 14 months of its rule, adding they also took Pakistan out of FATF’s grey list.
The minister said the motorway network launched by former prime minister Nawaz Sharif would soon turn Pakistan into hub of regional and global economic and trade activities.
The coalition government had restored confidence of the foreign investors under the dynamic leadership of the prime minister, he added.
He regretted that trust of the friendly nations was damaged during the previous government’s rule.
Maulana Asad said that they assured the nation to put an end to the ‘engineered governments and elections’ forever.
Minister for Federal Education and Training Rana Tanveer Hussain, on the occasion, said that 90 percent public projects were completed by the PML-N governments.
The just inaugurated projects were dreams of the area which had now turned into reality and would change fate of the people, he added.
He observed that it was due to the leadership of the prime minister that steered Pakistan out of the difficulties and put it on the path of progress and prosperity which was carved out by the previous PML-N governments.
