and said Pakistan would continue to raise its voice against the human rights violations and atrocities at all international forums. He said Pakistani citizens and their properties have also been targeted along the Working Boundary.
The prime minister said Pakistan was playing an effective role against terrorism and it would continue its fight till the elimination of terrorism from its soil. He said all those supporting terrorism would also be dealt with.
He said the Operation Zarb-e-Azb was achieving successes and would continue till all its objectives were achieved. He said Pakistan would present the gift of peace to the international community.
He also announced a modern cardiac centre for Bagh. He said the local people have to travel long distances and assured such hospitals would also be established at other places in the AJK. He also directed the Punjab government to urgently build a quality road from Kotli Sattian to the Kalyari Bridge. He also announced the construction of a bridge over the River Jhelum in Khapdar.
Addressing a gathering at the newly-inaugurated Sports Complex, the prime minister said he was keen to see widespread development across the AJK. He said he would have been happier to invite the people of Bagh city so that they could personally see the efforts of the government being done for their well being. He promised the pace of development in the AJK would be speeded up and a string of schools, colleges, healthcare units and roads would spring up across the beautiful valleys and hills.
He mentioned that the newly-inaugurated projects would not only provide better services to the masses but would also create new jobs and opportunities for the people of the area. He said the water supply scheme in Bagh would be able to cater to the needs of the city for the next 30 years and said new roads, bridges and infrastructure would bring about a positive change in the lives of the common man.
Nawaz Sharif said that the Oct 8, 2005, earthquake devastated vast areas, but it also proved to be an opportunity to build better. He said Pakistan had no experience of coping with that calamity, but with courage and commitment, the people of Pakistan with the help of the armed forces and the international community rose to the challenge. He said that despite numerous challenges, his government was working with zeal to bring about a positive change. He assured the people that apart from schemes under the Erra, new projects would also be initiated. He recalled that his government undertook the building of the first Motorway from Lahore to Islamabad, with a vision to link the country with the Central Asian Republics, and said the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) would immensely benefit from the project. He said work was also underway for getting natural gas from Turkmenistan, under the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) project. He said the issue of power shortages was also being addressed and expressed the hope it would end within the tenure of his government.
The prime minister said his previous and present governments were committed to serving the masses selflessly and not only improved the national economy but also strengthened its defence. He said now no country could dare cast an evil eye on Pakistan. He questioned the performance of the past governments on their inability to deliver and said the shortage of electricity and gas was hampering progress. He lauded the performance of Finance Minister Ishaq Dar and said the country’s foreign exchange reserves had risen to record levels and all the economic indicators were positive.
Ch Barjees Tahir and Tariq Fazal Chaudhry were also present on the occasion.