SHAMKOT: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Saturday said previous rulers gave the country a recipe for destruction by halting progress through their retrogressive policies and people are taking revenge for the injustices meted out to them through the vote, as reflected in the recently held local government polls and the last general elections.
After inaugurating the Khanewal-Multan section of the motorway (M4) at Shamkot near Khanewal, he said the completion of these projects would ensure fast-track development of the country.
Previous governments did not even provide electricity, let alone motorways, he said, adding that the situation had worsened in all sectors after his ouster in 1999.
On the other hand, the country had always witnessed pro-development policies under PML-N governments, injecting vigour in the economy and focusing on road infrastructure, thus ensuring prosperity which has encompassed all regions of Pakistan, the prime minister added.
He said progress in Pakistan came to a standstill after the ouster of his government. Had dictatorship continued and democracy not returned to the country, Pakistan would have been in dire straits, Nawaz noted.
The prime minister added that the country was holding those responsible for halting progress in the country accountable. After assuming power, Nawaz said, his government improved the economic as well as law and order situation, while electricity was being supplied without interruption. The prime minister said work on the Lahore-Karachi Motorway, power projects and Gwadar airport was under way, while recalling that he had faced severe criticism when he first decided to build the motorway.
The prime minister said the government was also working on ensuring the well-being of farmers and announced the Rs341 billion Kisan Package to uplift their financial status.
He also urged all the chief ministers to help sugarcane growers to get the full price of their produce which was set at Rs180 and
asked the Federal Minister for National Food Security and Research Sikandar Hayat Bosan to take personal interest in the issue.
The prime minister said besides the motorways and metro bus projects, the government had also launched several ventures to overcome the energy crisis. Promising to end power outages in the next two-and-a-half years, Nawaz said providing cheap electricity to the consumers was a top priority of the government
He said terrorism had also receded as compared to the past due to his government’s bold decisions. “We initiated an operation in Karachi for restoring peace,” he said.
The prime minister said the government had taken the problem of terrorism head on and expressed the resolve to eliminate the menace.
Motorway projects in different parts of the country were being completed with full transparency, while infrastructure was also being developed in Balochistan, the prime minister said. He added that a state-of-the-art airport would be built in Gwadar besides developing a deep seaport.
Speaking on the occasion, Punjab Governor Rafiq Rajwana said the first and second phase of local government polls results were an expression of the trust reposed in the prime minister’s policies.
NHA Chairman Shahid Ashraf Tarar briefed the prime minister on the 56-km long Khanewal-Multan section which includes four interchanges, 17 bridges and 28 subways. The total cost of the project was Rs12.9 billion out of which an amount of Rs900 was saved during execution.
The M4 will contribute towards the economy in terms of a surge in employment and business opportunities. It is a part of the Karachi-Lahore Motorway, which will facilitate traffic from Sindh, Balochistan, Gilgit-Baltistan and Punjab. It will also link Multan city with the network.
Later, the prime minister drove a vehicle from Shamkot interchange to Vehari interchange, covering a distance of 38 kilometres.