Container elements are enemy of progress: PM

Asks people it they want peace
or chaos; performs groundbreaking of Lahore-Sialkot Motorway

SAMBRIAL: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Monday said that the elements busy in container politics were actually trying to economically and politically destabilise the country by disrupting the national progress and prosperity, and asked the masses whether they wanted peace in the country or chaos and anarchy.

The prime minister was addressing a mammoth public gathering here on Monday afternoon after performing the groundbreaking of Rs45 billion, 89-km-long Sialkot-Lahore Motorway. Federal ministers Khawaja Asif, Zahid Hamid and other notables were also present on the occasion.

Nawaz said that some elements, who had failed to attract public support, were people, were trying desperately to damage the government so that it could not complete the gigantic plans aimed at the people’s wellbeing.

“They fear that if democracy sustains in Pakistan and the government continues with its ambitious plans of progress and prosperity, they would lose the chance of grabbing power even in 2018. Such people are ready to subvert the process of development and progress for their political motives. It shows their commitment with Pakistan and its progress.”

The project, to be completed in two years, will also link Sialkot with Kharian and Lahore’s Ring Road. The four-lane motorway would be constructed jointly by the Frontier Works Organisation (FWO) and National Highway Authority.

The prime minister was in a jubilant mood and addressed the people in candid manner. He asked the people to support the government in materialising the mega projects aimed at unprecedented progress and prosperity and reject the container politics which only created anarchy and lawlessness in the country.

The PML-N would win general elections in 2018, the prime minister said with confidence. Addressing a huge public gathering after performing groundbreaking of Lahore-Sialkot Motorway at Sahowala near Sambrial, he asked people to discern between the politics of progress and prosperity and the antics being staged on the containers.

The 89-km motorway would be completed within two years at a cost of Rs 45 billion. The prime minister said his political foes were dreading the dawn of fast-paced prosperity and had fears if Nawaz remained in power during the next two years, their petty politics would end forever.

He said those elements were given the mandate to stage protests, whereas the government enjoyed the mandate to construct motorways. They wanted to let the country’s youth down but the PML-N government would not allow them to halt the progress, he said and expressed the resolve to end unemployment.

The prime minister asked the gathering to decide whether they wanted stability or lawlessness, peace or anarchy economic prosperity or strikes, prosperity or poverty, peace or agitation.

The shadow of disappointment painted by retrogressive elements was receding, adding to the frustration of the people at protest containers, Nawaz said. Those elements wanted to disrupt the economic prosperity as they did not want an end to poverty, loadshedding and unemployment and could not afford the countrymen to tread the path of progress and development, he added.

Nawaz said a number of power and infrastructure projects would be completed in the next two years, heralding poverty alleviation and removal of people’s deprivations. “It is called progress. We have also mounted on a container but it has no semblance with their politics. Their politics smacks of retrogression and anarchy. Ours is a container of prosperity and progress whereas their containers represent stalemate,” he added.

He said the government’s efforts and agenda for development were very well known to the people. “It is the path of peace, love sincerity, harmony and progress. The prospects of good fortune are knocking at our doors and cannot be turned away. Good omens seldom knock at the doors and if not given space they recede back,” he warned.

The prime minister said those launching protest movements had failed to attract masses from Peshawar to Rawalpindi and Rawalpindi to Islamabad. “Even the crowd (today) in Sialkot is much bigger than their protest movement rallies. This is the (real) movement. This is the movement for development. This is the public passion for development in the country,” he remarked.

The prime minister said people should ask the previous rulers why their agonies of power outages had worsened and why they were forced to bear 16 to 18 hours of loadshedding. Nawaz said the year 2018 would herald an end to loadshedding as various power plants were being installed across the country.

Talking about the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), he thanked China government for becoming a partner of the Pakistani government in the country’s development and making investment to steer it out of the power crisis.

He also especially mentioned the marked improvement being witnessed in Pakistan Railways and PIA. Nawaz announced constructing access roads from Sialkot and Sambrial to motorway, Sialkot-Kharian Motorway and said Metro Bus project would also be launched in the city.

He said terrorism was on the back foot and would be eliminated soon due to very strong commitment against the menace of terrorism, shown by the military, law enforcement agencies and the common people, as he lauded their role. FWO DG Maj Gen Muhammad Afzal in his briefing said his organisation would maintenance the motorway and also contribute to the national exchequer through the collected taxes.