ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif Wednesday told his opponents that they would get a befitting reply next year, referring to the coming general elections. He said he and his family should be told what mistake they have made. He said they were looted and were also being asked of money trail.
He hinted about carrying out legislation under treason offence against those who are trying to block the progress and development of the country by making baseless allegations, and negative activities. He asked the federal minister concerned to undertake requisite legislation for the purpose. He questioned if there is anybody who catch these elements with collar.
The Prime Minister was addressing a gathering at Kala Shah Kaku after a briefing about Lahore-Sialkot Motorway project. He also addressed Sialkot Chambers of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) after inaugurating Riazuddin Sheikh Business Centre, where he vowed to take Pakistan to the top ranking developed countries.
He said the masses had rejected negative politics aiming to push the country back to the Stone Age. The business community of the industrial city reposed full confidence in his economic policies and stressed continuity.
Nawaz said Pakistan of 2017 was much better than that of 2013 and those demanding his resignation were the ones who did not wish to take Pakistan towards stability. He said their past four years of negative politics had slowed the pace of progress.
He said he believed that the only way forward was to address poverty, unemployment and terrorism, by undertaking development in all spheres. The Prime Minister regretted that the ongoing so-called accountability was only aimed at creating disability in the country.
He said being the Prime Minister of Pakistan, he had offered himself and his family for accountability, but it was beyond his understanding what kind of accountability they had been seeking so far. “Please stop your political jugglery, stop misleading the nation and focus on national development and prosperity,” he added.
He said not even a penny of corruption had been proved against him. He said he and his party would come out clean from all this mess that had been going on since 2014. He mentioned earlier two phases of sit-ins only created hurdles in Pakistan’s march towards progress and prosperity. The Prime Minister rejected the ongoing campaign against his pro-development government and said the stock market rose from 19,000 to 54,000 points since he came into power.
He, however, regretted that due to the ongoing situation, it slumped by 10,000 points. “Who is responsible for this loss?” he questioned. He said the US 56 billion dollars investment by China in the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) was delayed by six months due to the sit-in at Islamabad.
He said his government was being held accountable for the past 44 years. He said his family had always been victimised in the past and had been targeted for serving the masses. Today Balochistan was a productive and integral part of Pakistan, owing to the selfless service to the masses, the Prime Minister said. He said only the one who sincerely believed in the uplift of the common man, the welfare of the farmers, the betterment of industrialists and businessmen, could serve the masses in the best possible manner.
He said work on completion of different sections of motorways was going ahead at a fast pace. He mentioned progress on Karachi-Hyderabad, Sialkot- Lahore and Multan-Karachi sections.
He termed it an extensive infrastructure development programme that was unprecedented in Pakistan’s history. He said a number of road projects were near completion and added he would inaugurate the new sections soon. The Prime Minister said first two years of his government were spent on arranging funds for development projects and today long hours of loadshedding were a thing of the past.
He said every few days, a new power project would be adding electricity to the national grid. He said only a few years back, people were sick and tired of endless power outages, unemployment, lawlessness and lack of investment.
He said country’s railways network would be upgraded by an investment of US 58 billion dollars. He said his government saved Rs168 billion in three power projects alone due to transparency and better management. He said his government had worked very hard to turn around the country’s economy and said he was proud to note that all projects had been completed with complete transparency.
He said Pakistan would soon have abundant, and cheap electricity and pointed its cost had dropped from Rs15 to Rs10 per unit and hoped that it would soon be down to Rs8. Nawaz vowed to continue the journey of national economic stability by taking the business community into confidence. He said Pakistan’s economic indicators were getting better day by day. He said government’s effective and positive economic policies were restoring confidence of local and foreign investors, adding the policies were bearing fruits and the national economy was moving ahead.
Sheikh Riazud Din Business and Trade Centre that the Prime Minister inaugurated has been established by the government at a total cost of Rs480 million for boosting trade, business, industrial and export activities in Sialkot region.
The centre has been named after Sialkot based business tycoon Riazud Din Sheikh for his meritorious services for the Sialkot industry. Nawaz linked economic prosperity with political stability and continuity of export development policies in the country. He underlined the need for development of human resources for continuous economic growth as well. He termed Sialkot an engine for boosting national economy and lauded the unique export culture of Sialkot. Investment in the area would be encouraged to further enhance exports, he added. The prime minister said the government was fully aware of the problems of the business community and making all-out efforts to resolve them amicably. He said the government was committed to weeding out terrorism from the country as the whole nation was united, ready to sacrifice lives and stood shoulder to shoulder with the armed forces of the country.
SCCI President Majid Raza Bhutta called for continuity of business-friendly policies for economic stability, development and prosperity of the country.
Federal ministers Khawaja Muhammad Asif, Chaudhry Ahsan Iqbal, Engineer Khurram Dastgir, Chairman FBR Tariq Pasha, members of the national and provincial assemblies and representatives of trade bodies were also present on the occasion.
Later, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif also addressed a meeting of local parliamentarians and party workers at the residence of Khawaja Muhammad Asif at Sialkot Cantonment. The Prime Minister also visited the site of Sialkot-Lahore Motorway project which was being executed at a cost of Rs53 billion, and reviewed the pace of work.
The Prime Minister had an aerial view of the Lahore-Sialkot and Lahore-Multan sections of the Pakistan Motorway, that are being completed at a fast pace to link Peshawar with Karachi, and serve as the backbone for the CPEC. Lieutenant General Muhammad Afzal, Director General Frontier Works Organisation (DG FWO) briefed him on progress on various sections of the six-lane wide sections of the road and informed that international road standards and quality were being ensured.
He said service areas along motorway would have all necessary facilities including rest areas, food courts, petrol stations and workshops. Nawaz directed that connectivity should be the focus and easy access to farm to market roads, remote areas must be ensured.
He said the completion of these sections would speed up work on CPEC that would link Pakistan with the Central Asia and serve as the regional economic hub.
The Prime Minister was briefed through a presentation and maps about progress on different sections. He was informed that quality and timely completion were the hallmarks of the project. The National Highway Authority (NHA) briefed him about the Lahore-Multan's Abdul Hakeem section and Lahore Eastern Bypass projects that would cut down travel time and provide fast access to the people.
Nawaz expressed resolve to thwart all attempts at sabotaging the pace of progress and said the unprecedented infrastructure development and road network projects would be completed on time.