People giving answers to opponents: PM

CHITRAL/LOWARI TOP: Offering an olive branch to his opponents, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has asked them to join hands for the progress and prosperity of the country.

“I neither take notice of those doing agitational politics nor respond to them. People themselves give a better reply to such elements by not paying heed to their call,” he said. The premier said that he could only pray for the guidance of such elements, adding “May Almighty give them the realisation that they should instead focus their energies on making the country prosperous.”

Avioding to offer any direct comments about the Raiwand march, he maintained that the people of Karachi had befittingly responded to such elements who had been already discarded by the people of the country. It was an obvious hint towards the poor gathering of PTI chief Imran Khan’s public gathering in Karachi on Wednesday evening and earlier poor shows in KP and Punjab.

Prime Minister Nawaz was addressing a mammoth gathering in Chitral on Wednesday where he announced the construction of a university, a 250-bed hospital under the PM’s Health Programme and several road links to Chitral and adjoining areas. The prime minister, who was here on a day-long whirlwind visit, later reached the Lowari Top and inspected the ongoing work at the nine-kilometer-long Lowari Tunnel that would be opened mid next year.

State Minister Ms Anusha Rehman Ahmad Khan, Adviser to the Prime Minister Engineer Amir Muqam Khan, former governor KP Sardar Mehtab Ahmad Khan Abbasi, Jamaat-e-Islami’s Parliamentary Leader in the National Assembly Sahibzada Tariqullah Khan, MNA Asfanyar Bhindara were also present on the occasion.

Prime Minister Nawaz visited the house of his personal servant Abidullah Jan, situated on the top of a hill in village Ghierat, and had lunch with the people and family of Abidullah.Addressing a big public gathering in Chitral, the prime minister said that despite the propaganda of opponents, the government’s journey of national development and prosperity would continue unabated. He assured the people that he would continue to do the same after 2018 as well. He said that it was his dream that all political opponents work in unison for the development of the country. “We have no grudge against anyone and only believe in working together,” he said, adding had there been any malice, the Pakistan Muslim League-N would not have allowed other political parties to form governments in provinces.

He vowed to complete the Lowari Tunnel project by June next year, which has been lingering since 1955. The PM said that he had great affinity for the people of Chitral and had been frequently visiting the area to oversee development projects. “For me, Chitral is no less important than Lahore, Karachi or any other city of the country and I want this area to be developed at par with the rest of the country,” he said.

Nawaz Sharif said he believed in political harmony and mentioned the presence of Shahzada Iftikharuddin, the Member National Assembly from Chitral belonging to former president General Pervez Musharraf’s party, Jamaat-e-Islami, JUI and PPP leaders on the stage. “It doesn’t matter to which party these people belong to. I will be supportive of them for the development of Chitral,” he said.

The premier mentioned that his government had released Rs27 billion for the early completion of the Lowari Tunnel, which was facing delays due to neglect of previous governments. He termed the project’s delay “utterly ruthless” towards the people of Chitral and said his government was acting swiftly for redressal. He reminded that Rs17 billion were being spent on the construction of the Chitral-Lowari-Chakdara Road, adding that it would be similar to a motorway. He said that the first university in Chitral would help mainstreaming of local youth in national development process. He mentioned the construction of 108 megawatt Golan Gol Hydropower Project in Chitral, which would benefit more than 100 towns.

The PM directed the Chairman NHA Chaudhry Shahid Ashraf Tarrar to complete feasibilities of three road projects, including the Shandur-Mastuj Road via Chitral, and Garam Chashma and Bamborait roads from Chitral. He announced a grant of Rs200 million for Chitral’s district government, to be spent on the uplift of civic amenities.

The prime minister said that his government was committed to uniform progress and prosperity in the whole of the country and this journey towards prosperity would continue.The prime minister later visited the Lowari Tunnel where he was informed that about 76 percent construction work on the Rs26.9 billion Lowari Road Tunnel has been completed and it would be ready by mid next year. About Rs18 billion has been spent on the 8.5-km project so far, being completed by the Korean company SAMBU. The work is being completed on fast track as the result of keen interest shown by the prime minister.

The ambitious project being accomplished at the heels of mighty mountains would improve the communication linkage between Chitral and Dir by alleviating the miseries of commuters and improving living standards of the people. The Lowari Tunnel will be an all-weather road link between Chitral Valley and the rest of the country, providing an opportunity to explore the hydropower potentials of the Chitral Valley. The tunnel besides reducing poverty would provide a better access to markets and become instrumental in the development of tourism industry of the country. It will help greatly in tapping large potential area of mineral resources, forest product industries, fruits & agriculture, livestock and other mineral based industries. The tunnel, situated 7,200 feet above sea level, will be completed by June 2017 at a cost of about Rs26 billion.

The premier went inside the tunnel, disembarked from the vehicle and observed the construction activity.The NHA Chairman, Chaudhry Shahid Ashraf Tarar, briefed the prime minister on the salient features of the project. He said two tunnels of 8.5 kilometres and 1.9 kms respectively had been constructed under the project while approach roads of total 40 kilometer length were also being built on both sides of the tunnel.

SAMBU, a Korean construction firm, started work on the vital project in September 2005. However, the work was stopped in 2010 due to lack of funds and security reasons. SAMBU resumed the construction work in October 2012 with the project converted into a road tunnel from the railway.

The prime minister was told that Rs4.5 billion was approved in the year 2015-16 and Rs4.5 billion allocated in 2016-17 for the project. The Rs1.1 billion had been spent so far in the current fiscal year. He was informed that some 75 percent work on the project had already been done as the federal government had accelerated release of funds to complete it within the stipulated time (June 2017).

Over 600,000 population of Chitral would benefit from the longest tunnel of Pakistan, who at present remained disconnected from rest of KP and the country for five to six months as Lowari Pass remained closed due to heavy snowfall in winter. The two-lane tunnel on completion would connect Chitral with the rest of the country round the year.

The prime minister was apprised that the project had international significance as well because it would serve as a major trading route to the Central Asian states via Chitral. Besides, it would also provide an alternative route for trade and business activities with China and make the region a hub of economic and foreign investment. This project would bring a revolutionary change in the lives of people of Chitral and also benefit the entire Malakand Division and KP.

Addressing a mammoth public gathering at the polo ground here, the prime minister said the change would come through development works and not through protests. “Some leaders use such language that I cannot think to reply to. The people in Karachi rejected the politics of protest yesterday. The people in Chitral said no to the anti-development movement by participating in the rally here today,” said the prime minister.

The prime minister directed the chairman of the National Highway Authority (NHA) to complete the feasibility reports of the Chitral-Booni-Shandur Road, Booni-Buzund Road, Chitral-Garam Chashma and Chitral-Kalash Valley Road projects by December 2016 and start work on them as early as possible.

He said he had special regard and love for the people of Chitral and would be working for their progress and development in complete disregard to political affiliations. He said in the past successive governments ignored Chitral, which would now be compensated. He said he would come back to Chitral in June 2017 to open the Lowari Tunnel.

Nawaz Sharif said when he became the prime minister, the All Pakistan Muslim League (APML) Member National Assembly (MNA) Iftikharuddin came to him and said he was basically a Muslim Leaguer and wanted to resign from the seat and contest by-elections on the PML-N ticket. “But I told him not to take such risk and keep on working for the people of your area and I will be supporting you,” Nawaz Sharif said. He told the gathering to ask the MNA whether he was not supporting him for the progress of the area.

The prime minister said he had no ill will for anyone but regretted that in the past people took votes in the name of the Lowari Tunnel, but couldn’t complete it even after 50 years though it should have been ready in three years. He announced Rs200 million for the district government of Chitral.

During his speech, Nawaz Sharif said in a lighter vein that he was happy that the people of Chitral had started understanding Urdu. “When I came to Chitral as the prime minister in the 1990s, the Chitrali people couldn’t understand Urdu,” he recalled.

PML-N leader and Adviser to Prime Minister Amir Muqam, MNA Shahzada Iftikharuddin and District Nazim Maghfirat Shah thanked the prime minister for visiting Chitral thrice since taking oath as the prime minister.

The MNA said Chitral was the only district in KP that was provided Rs6 billion funds by the federal government during a year.He said the change had actually been initiated by the PML-N from Chitral. “Billions of rupees are being spent on different projects in Chitral including the Lowari Tunnel and the Chitral-Shandur, Garam Chashma and Bamburate roads.”