Shahbaz asks people to pick rhetoric or performance

KARACHI: The President, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, Shahbaz Sharif, has made a commitment to resolve the garbage and water issues of the metropolis if his party is elected to power from here in the upcoming general election.

The former Punjab chief minister Sharif, besides his home ground, is also contesting the polls from NA-249 (Karachi West-II) that mostly comprises Baldia Town – one of the areas in the city that has been running dry for years. Speaking at a ceremony at the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry on Monday, he said the garbage issue will be resolved within six months and the water woes will be addressed in three years. With considerable restoration of law and order through the Karachi operation, the resolution of water and garbage issues have become a slogan for nearly all the mainstream political parties vying to attract voters. The PML-N president said the PML-N government will take on board all the political parties to resolve the water, garbage and transport issues of the city. He said the city would become an exemplary one in the world, not only in Asia. “We will play our part to get Karachi back its lost glory,” he pledged. Sharif claimed that due to the efforts of the PML-N government terrorism, extortion and target killings have stopped. He, however, told the business community that due to policy formulations Karachi could never achieve its true economic potential and if elected to power he would work to correct the anomaly.

He said back in 2013 there was 18-hour loadshedding in Sindh but the PML-N government managed to drastically cut it down in the last five years. He claimed the country has now become ‘load shedding free.’ Shahbaz said if elected his government will introduce a one-window operation like in Europe and China to promote business opportunities in the port city. He said all the utility providing institutions will be revamped through legislation to make their processes hassle free.

Shahbaz said besides dollar’s fluctuations, power constraints are also one of the factors that hinder exports and do not allow the growth it could have achieved. He added his government will exempt industries that provide employment opportunities from taxes. Talking about the youth bulge – over 60 percent of the population, he said to put this human capital on the right path investment is needed in education and health sectors. He also stressed for expanding the vocational training institutes across the country. Referring to the research policy of the first Indian prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru, he said the country needed one like that and it will be part of the PML-N manifesto for the general election 2018. He said Pakistan needed to win the economic war with the neighboring country.

Talking about Kala Bagh dam, he said that it was among the ‘most important’ projects but not important enough to put the national integrity in jeopardy. He said rather they would focus on building Bhasha Dam and claimed that project will be completed by 80 percent in the next five years.

Criticizing the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, Sharif said because of its over 140-day long sit-in in Islamabad many projects were delayed. He mentioned that the Chinese president also had to postpone his visit because of the demonstrations that had nearly crippled the capital. Later, the PML-N president went to the Mazar-e-Quaid to pay respects to the founding father of the country Muhammad Ali Jinnah. Talking to the media, he said in 1997 upon becoming Punjab's chief minister, when he had claimed to make Lahore at par with Paris, people mocked him. “But we did it,” he said, “And we will make Karachi like it too.”

He also attended a public meeting in Baldia Town from where he is contesting polls. Speaking to the gathering, he in his trademark style said he will not leave until Karachi matches Lahore in infrastructure and development. Shahbaz has a long list of engagements marked for Tuesday ( today) and would also chair a party meeting.