Performs groundbreaking of Rs16 bn Green Line bus project; directs law enforcement and intelligence agencies to strengthen mutual coordination; hopes people of Karachi will soon leave behind dark days of killings and bloodshed and move ahead towards a brighter future
KARACHI: Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif on Friday said the Karachi operation will continue till the port city saw round-the-clock hustle bustle it was once famous for.
He was addressing a gathering here after the groundbreaking ceremony of Rs16 billion Green Line bus service project.Nawaz said the Karachi situation had improved significantly and the days of kidnappings for ransom, target killings, acts of terrorism and street crime were almost over.
Besides an improvement in the law and order, the pace of development and progress has also improved, he added.He said negligence of the previous governments was the reason behind the grave situation in the city.
However, he said the people of Karachi would soon leave behind the dark days of killings and bloodshed and move towards a brighter future.He was positive that the situation would improve in the days ahead and said every step would be taken to bring back peace and tranquility to the port city.
About the bus project, the prime minister termed it a historic day, as the federal and provincial governments were jointly launching it to provide fast and cheap bus service to thousands of residents of Karachi.
He said the Rs16 billion project of 18.4 km Green Line would usher in a positive change in the city.He said the project would include over 11 km elevated section with 22 bus stations and would be better than the Lahore Metro service.
Nawaz Sharif said transparency and quality in the project would be ensured and the project would be completed next year. He said work on the Karachi-Lahore Motorway was underway, which would connect the distant areas of the country.
He said Pakistan would be an important country with regard to enhanced connectivity in the next few years.He said if the momentum of development work continued at the same pace, the country would soon witness an era of sustainable prosperity.
He also acknowledged the interest of the chief minister and governor of Sindh in the development projects of the city.Earlier, the prime minister was briefed about the overall law and order situation in the Sindh province.
Earlier, chairing a meeting on the law and order, the prime minister expressed complete satisfaction over the ongoing targeted operation and reiterated that it will continue against criminals and terrorists till the elimination of last terrorist.
Nawaz said all the required resources would be utilised for bringing terrorists and their facilitators and financiers to justice.He asked the Rangers, police, and other law-enforcement agencies to accelerate their drive against lawless elements and their patrons.
All concerned law enforcement and intelligence agencies should strengthen their coordination, he emphasised.
He said the targeted operation should be accelerated in the light of disclosures made to the LEAs by the arrested criminals and terrorists in their custody so that patrons of such lawless elements could also be nabbed.
He said concrete efforts should be made to counter the wave of street crimes affecting the people of Karachi.He also directed the Sindh government to speed up the system of bringing reforms in its prosecution system for bringing terrorists and criminals to justice. He said the federal government and all of its security agencies would provide full support to the Sindh government and its agencies to continue the targeted operation.
He said the federal govt would provide all the needed cooperation to the Sindh govt for completing all the major development projects.He praised the Rangers, police, and other LEAs for their successes and achievements during the ongoing targeted operation.
Nawaz said he had been delighted to see peace getting back to the city as it would accelerate business activities while the general public and businessmen of the city would consider themselves equally secured.
The PM directed the Sindh govt to continue the drive to fully implement the National Action Plan (NAP) against terrorism. He said due observance and implementation of the NAP could alone ensure complete eradication of terrorism.
The meeting was attended among others by Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ebad Khan, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah, Federal Information and Broadcasting Minister Senator Pervaiz Rashid and Sindh Home Minister Sohail Anwar Khan Siyal.