Says no room for disappointment; political govts
too did not discharge responsibilities; those talking of accountability committed corruption
LAHORE: Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has said the entire nation is celebrating Independence Day at a time when it is grieved due to Quetta tragedy.
He expressed these views while addressing a special function at Hazoori Bagh on Independence Day on Sunday. He said there is no room for disappointment and it will have to be eliminated through unity. He said prayers and sympathies of 20 crore people are with the bereaved families of martyrs. He said lakhs of people laid down their precious lives for creation of Pakistan and souls of martyrs are still waiting for the country to become Pakistan of Quaid and Iqbal in the real sense.
He said on March 23, 1940 lakhs of Muslims including Ulema from all schools of thought, labourers, intellectuals, lawyers and other people had gathered on one platform under the dynamic leadership of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah for achieving independence from Hindu and imperialism. The Muslims displayed unity and solidarity and achieved a separate land. He said today, unity has shattered and everyone wants to impose his belief upon others which is against the spirit of Pakistan of Quaid and Iqbal. The nation also needs a leader today who can eliminate corruption, ignorance, poverty, disparity between the rich and the poor and plunder of national resources from the country and make such Pakistan where there is no difference between the elite and the common man and this is the real objective of creating Pakistan, he added. He said that Pakistan of today is of neither Quaid nor Iqbal.
He said Pakistan Muslim League-N government under the leadership of Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif is determined to make such a Pakistan as was dreamed by Quaid and Iqbal. He said Pakistan was created to uphold honesty, hard work and eliminate corruption, rigging and nepotism. Shahbaz Sharif asked from the participants to tell whether as a nation and leadership we have fulfilled the demands and added that its
reply will be negative. He said politicians, judges, generals, traders, elite and other privileged class have led luxurious life. The CM said that the country and the nation suffered a great loss due to four martial laws in the country. He said political governments also did not discharge their responsibilities efficiently.
Shahbaz Sharif said that this is not time of levelling allegations or abusing each other but accountability. He said: “We will have to move forward after learning a lesson from past mistakes and only then, Pakistan will achieve its lost status in the comity of nations”. He said strenuous efforts are being made under the leadership of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif for progress of the country and prosperity of people and he as well as 20 crore people are witness to it. No attention was paid to elimination of terrorism, extremism and energy crisis in the past, which caused a great loss to the country and poverty and employment increased, and we have to bow before Aghyaar, he added. The CM said that the real freedom cannot be achieved without breaking the begging bowl. He said: “We all should mend our ways”. He said today those people talk of accountability who have committed full corruption. Shahbaz Sharif said that those raising the slogan of accountability have such people around them who have got written off their loans of billion and trillions of rupees and have stories of grabbing lands in this city. The chief minister said that common man has full right over national resources but he has been deprived of his right through misappropriation of resources. He said these people spared no effort in ruining the country. Now when work has been started for the improvement of every sector under the leadership of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, these people want to stage sit-ins, he added. Was Pakistan achieved for such purposes, he questioned. Shahbaz Sharif said that although we have wasted a lot of precious time yet there is time to do work. He said several achievements have been made at a number of fronts. He said that due to unity of political and military forces, the country has become an atomic power and no one can dare to harm it. Referring to Indian atrocities in Occupied Kashmir, the CM said innocent Muslims are being killed in Kashmir.
He said Indian army is massacring innocent Kashmiris and freedom movement is being pressed. We did nothing except issuing statements, he added. Had Pakistan been strong, India never had been murdered Kashmiris, he added. Shahbaz Sharif said that Kashmir will become Pakistan on the pattern of East Germany and West Germany united and Berlin Wall collapsed. The chief minister said that we will have to become economically strong with our hard work and act, not slogans. We will have to pledge not to allow anyone commit corruption and loot national resources and for it, we will have to work round the clock. Shahbaz Sharif said that the youth are bright future of Pakistan and he is sure that the youth will transform Pakistan in accordance with the ideals of Quaid and Iqbal in the real sense. He said if we will work hard then the day is not far when the Pakistan will become the great power of world community. He said Pakistan was made a frontline state in the decade of 80s and it suffered a great loss due to this war. Now we will have to move forward and progress. The CM said that political and military leadership has jointly started Operation Zarb-e-Azab during which numerous achievements have been made. He said Pak Army, police and citizens rendered numerous sacrifices in the war against terrorism and if Pakistan did not progress despite these sacrifices, then the historian and new generation will never forgive us. Therefore, we should mend our ways and quit levelling allegations, he added. Shahbaz Sharif said that 1320 megawatts coal power plant is being speedily completed in Sahiwal and this is the first project of such capacity, which is going to be completed in a record period of 23 months. He said Neelam Jhelum Hydro project started in 2005 during Musharraf era and still not completed and five billion dollars are being spent on it while 5000 megawatts electricity can be generated from five billion dollars. Shahbaz Sharif said that there is no justice in police stations and kachehry. Khawaja Ahmad Hassan and Administrator Lahore Usman Yunis spoke on the occasion. Counsel generals of China and Iran, provincial ministers, MNAs and MPAs, senior civil and military officers and people from different walks of life were present.