LAHORE: Governor Chaudhry Sarwar said on Sunday the Lahore High Court decision was not a matter of success or defeat for the government and the opposition.

The PML-N leadership had submitted a written assurance in court of law and everyone wanted Nawaz Sharif to come back after his recovery.

He said the federal government had permitted Nawaz Sharif’s medical treatment abroad solely on humanitarian grounds and when he fell ill, the government provided him the best possible treatment here. From the day one, he said, the government had been giving assurance that it would not obstruct the process of sending Nawaz Sharif abroad for cure.

He said those dreaming of in-house change would get nothing but disappointment. He said the government under the leadership of Prime Minister Imran Khan would complete its constitutional term of five years at all costs and the next general election would be held on scheduled time.

Brushing aside reservations shown by the Chaudhry brothers, he said both of them are confident ally of the government and “reservations among allies are a usual thing.” The governor said reservations and grievances among allies did not happen in Pakistan alone but in the entire world. He said allies could give their viewpoint and as far as Chaudhry brothers are concerned, they were very much standing by the government, and the government taking all its allies along too.

Mr Sarwar, who is also chairman of the Punjab Aab-e-Pak Authority, said the PTI government’s promise of provision of safe drinking water to the people of Punjab would be fulfilled through the authority during the next four years. He said there was no doubt that a number of people of Punjab were falling prey to hepatitis and other diseases due to consumption of contaminated water and they needed to be saved by all means.

The governor warned the counterfeit companies operating in the name of safe drinking water to refrain from such practices otherwise huge fine would be imposed on filtration companies supplying substandard water. He said their owners would also face strict action including two years of imprisonment.

He said the Aab-e-Pak Authority would not only register all the filtration plants but ensure their continuous monitoring across Punjab.

Published in Dawn, November 18th, 2019