Shahbaz calls for unbiased accountability

Ag APP

LAHORE/SARGODHA: Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif on Wednesday said the country would become the Pakistan of Quaid and Iqbal when unbiased accountability of the corrupt would be carried out.

“If NAB has to serve then it should bring back the Rs 6.5 billion of this nation plundered and stacked up in Swiss banks by Asif Ali Zardari,” he said, addressing a gathering after inaugurating the Langarwala Pattan-Sahiwal Bridge at Jhelum River in Sargodha.

An amount of Rs 3 billion has been spent on this 2100-feet long bridge which will interconnect 2.7 million people of Sargodha and Khushab districts. The bridge has reduced the distance between the adjoining areas of Sargodha, Khushab, Mianwali and Bhakkar. It is expected that new bridge will boost socioeconomic activities and make access to hospitals and educational institutions easier.

Addressing a large public gathering at Sahiwal Tehsil Stadium in Sargodha, the chief minister said the mammoth public presence in the holy month of Ramazan in hot weather showed that the upcoming election belonged to the PML-N.

He recalled that the party supremo, Nawaz Sharif, had promised in 2013 to overcome the energy crisis and the PML-N government worked very hard to cope with the problem through an investment of hundreds of billions of rupees in the power projects.

Shahbaz said the Punjab government was set to empower two million unemployed youth to enable them to earn their livelihood, adding that interest-free loans worth Rs 40 billion had been provide to the people with any discrimination. "If we come into power again, the Punjab government will establish state-of-the-art hospitals equipped with latest machinery in Punjab and also ensure free medical treatment" he added.

Shahbaz said the incumbent government had introduced farmer-friendly policies and provided subsidy on fertilizers and interest-free loans to them.

He said the Punjab government had set records of development and prosperity across the Punjab, while Imran Khan did nothing for the prosperity of the masses of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Also on Wednesday, the chief minister visited the Pakistan Kidney and Liver Transplant Institute (PKLI) in Lahore and reviewed the progress on development works being carried out in the second phase of the project.

Talking to media persons, he said the people were afraid of NAB and some of them had even stopped working, adding that the NAB should take action against the corruption but the good work needed appreciation.

Replying to a question, Shahbaz said consultation was under way for the caretaker chief minister. The chief minister also visited the residence of Shaheed Col Sohail Abid at Bobri Angori near Bara Kahu in Islamabad and met his family members, paying tributes to the great sacrifice of Col Sohail.