Senate polls:Horse-trading proved double standards of Imran: Shahbaz

TAKHT BHAI: Vowing to develop Peshawar and other cities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa like Lahore, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Shahbaz Sharif said here on Saturday that horse-trading in the Senate elections proved the double standards of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan.

“He (Imran Khan) claims to have spearheaded a campaign against corruption, but the man of so-called principles has become a ‘wosool wala’ (someone who receives money) in the election to the Upper House of Parliament,” the PML-N chief remarked.

He was speaking at a big public meeting at the residence of PML-N MPA Jamshed Mohmand in Shergarh. The Punjab chief minister started his speech with Pakhair Raghlay, a greeting in Pashto, amid cheers by the jubilant crowd.

Shahbaz Sharif said the PTI had failed to bring about any change in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and instead ruined the province. “The PTI government turned the city of flowers, Peshawar, into ruins. The hollow claims of so-called harbinger of change stood exposed. Their claims are now a thing of the past,” he maintained.

He alleged that Imran Khan hoodwinked the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on the slogan of change, but the voters would hold him accountable by getting rid of the party in the next general elections.

He said that Imran Khan used to criticise the metro bus project in Punjab and called it ‘jangla bus’ (scrap) but was now developing the metro in Peshawar with a huge sum of Rs75 billion. “They dug up the entire Peshawar city for developing the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) and turned the city into ruins. I don’t see the project being completed on time,” he added.

Shahbaz Sharif said the “Billion Tree Tsunami” project was another failure of the PTI government.

He alleged the KP government allotted government land to near and dear ones in Malam Jabba. “The funds meant for projects of public interest are embezzled. That is why no development work could be done in the province,” he charged.

“The corruption scandal in the Bank of Khyber (BoK) is another example of mismanagement of the PTI government,” the PML-N chief argued.

He said Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has vast potential for hydelpower generation, but the PTI government could not produce even a single megawatt of power in its five years rule.

Shahbaz Sharif said the PML-N would develop the province like Lahore if given the opportunity to form the government in the province.

He said the PTI’s 2014 sit-in resulted in postponement of the planned visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping which resulted in losses to the country and ultimately benefited India.

He vowed to defeat the alliance of Imran Khan and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari.

Shahbaz Sharif said the PML-N government in Punjab developed a network of uplift projects. He said his government established Danish School system for the orphans with Rs17 billion for imparting international standard education to the students.

He said the Punjab government allocated Rs40 billion for Apna Rozgar scheme, adding under the initiative youth were given interest-free loans to start own business. He said that two million people have so far benefited from the scheme.

Shahbaz Sharif said his government spent Rs100 billion funds on developing a network of roads in Punjab, provided fertilizer to farmers on half price, gave subsidy on electricity for tube-wells and provided interest-free loans to farmers.

He said the PML-N’s federal government under the leadership of former prime minister Nawaz ended loadshedding and brought China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project to the country.

He hoped the PML-N would win the next general elections and form government in the Centre and all the provinces.

PML-N provincial president Amir Muqam in his speech also criticised the PTI-led KP government.

Adviser to Prime Minister on Civil Aviation Authority Sardar Mehtab Ahmad Khan, Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed and others accompanied Shahbaz Sharif during the visit.