PPP should repent corruption: Shahbaz

LAHORE: Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, referring to the PPP, on Monday said those talking of Punjab should announce returning 60 million dollars deposited in Swiss banks, repent and apologise to the nation.

He said the nation would take decision in the 2018 elections whether it was with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif or them. He said time has come that the politics of allegations on the basis of facts should be ended and its best method is that all should be held accountable strictly and justice should be done to those who looted the country.

He said it is right of the people and it should be returned to it. He said those talking about taking Punjab from us and bringing a change here should first lift the waste of Karachi, lights should be returned to the city of lights, Karachi; this country is for all of us but first lift the garbage from Karachi streets and then come to Punjab, he added.

Shahbaz Sharif inaugurated state-of-the-art Emergency Services Academy near Thokar Niaz Baig. The chief minister watched practical training of rescuers in the academy, lauded their high standard of training and professional skills, announced regularisation of the remaining staff of Rescue 1122 and said their service rules would be formulated by next month. Emergency Service Academy the basis of facts should be ended and its best method is that all should be held accountable strictly and justice should be done to those who looted the country. He said it is right of the people and it should be returned to it.

He said those talking about taking Punjab from us and bringing change here should first lift the waste of Karachi, lights should be returned to the city of lights, Karachi; this country is all of us but first lift the garbage from Karachi streets and then come to Punjab, he added. Shahbaz Sharif inaugurated state-of-the-art Emergency Services Academy near Thokar Niaz Baig.

The chief minister watched practical training of rescuers in the academy, lauded their high standard of training and professional skills; announced regularisation of the remaining staff of Rescue 1122 and said their service rules would be formulated by next month. Emergency Service Academy was constructed at a cost of Rs908 million, the professionals have been trained on modern concurrent terms and this academy will help in making the emergency facilities on a par with international standards.

Addressing the inaugural ceremony of Emergency Services Academy and passing out parade of rescuers, he said Emergency Services Academy is a splendid institution as comes into action during natural catastrophe and helps out people affected by earthquake or flood with dedication and burning midnight oil it has set precedents for the rest. The academy is training rescuers on high standards.

The chief minister said he had also visited his brothers in difficult time and felt pleasure to see Rescue 1122 staff already present at the scene helping out people in times of catastrophe. The training given to the rescuers is of international standard and this fact should be appreciated and this academy can compete internationally as well.

He said although the building of academy is simple but still it is fully equipped and functional. Only those nations progress as use their resources well, he added. He said the rulers of Punjab during the era of Pervez Musharraf imported expensive tiles from India for the construction of Services Hospital instead of recruiting professional highly qualified doctors, nurses and the staff. If you visit Services Hospital you will witness a big brown marble that had been imported from India, he added. He said when our government took the charge in 2008, we tried to stop the import of tiles from India as we believed that highly qualified doctors, paramedical staff and highly-equipped machinery is the real requirement of a hospital. He said importing expensive marble from India was like mocking of poverty of the nation as had been deprived of medicines and other health facilities. He said nation cannot be built if the patients are deprived of medicines in hospitals.

The Services Academy makes us remember the cause for which Pakistan was created where people would be facilitated with health and education facilities. He said it will be an extreme oppression for our nation if rulers are indulged in corruption and unscrupulousness while our rescue departments are not fully equipped with latest facilities and people are being deprived of health, education and other basic facilities and rights. The corrupt should be made accountable on strict terms so that no one in near future can loot nation’s resources. Dishonest people should be held accountable so that no one dares to loot the resources of poor nation in future, he added.

He said cronies of the dictator imported costly stone from neighbouring country and they had no sympathy with ailing humanity; the cronies of the dictator calling Pakistan first made programme of importing marble tiles worth Rs900 million for Bab-e-Pakistan from Italy but when he came into power in 2008, he stopped this luxurious expenditure and saved Rs900 million. Shahbaz Sharif said then government looted national wealth mercilessly and today people of that government are levelling baseless allegations and they should be ashamed for it. He said these are those rulers who spent Rs2 billion for converting 8-Club into Chief Minister’s House.

Shahbaz Sharif said he is chief minister for the last eight years and had promised not to go to 8-Club and he did not go there till today. He said these rulers also conducted robbery on iron ore reserves in Chiniot in 2007 and awarded contract without tender to a fraud company which was cancelled by high court on our request. He said the tender was given to a person who was very dear to former rulers. He said when we came into the power we fight a war in the court and the court declared it the worst robbery against the nation and directed to take action against the responsible.

The chief minister saluted to then Chief Justice of Lahore High Court Kh Shareef and the existing Chief Justice of Lahore High Court Mansoor Ali Shah who gave their decision. He said the cronies of Pervez Musharraf committed the worst robbery by giving contract to the company they liked and now they are levelling allegations which is tantamount to thieves make noise. He said complete feasibility of the hidden wealth in Chiniot had been made. The experts of China and Germany have told how much wealth is hidden under the land. He said we can earn billions of rupees through selling of this iron ore. He said dishonest persons looted the country mercilessly in the past and made the rich nation a poor one by conducting dacoity on national resources.

Shahbaz Sharif said Bank of Punjab had been made stand on its own feet and now its performance is far better. He said the baseless allegations should not be levelled as it is painful. He said that we have to follow the path of hard work and honesty for serving the ailing humanity. He said if we did not sympathise with the ailing humanity such a revolution will come which will ruin all. He said that political and military leadership, traders and elite will have to come forward for the service of ailing humanity; otherwise, the coming generations will not forgive us.  

He congratulated provincial minister for finance, chief secretary, DG Rescue 1122 and entire team, inspected passing out parade and distributed shields among the rescuers displaying outstanding performance during the course.