Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Thursday he had held several meetings with army chiefs during his 38 years in politics with the sole objective of making the country progress, as he acknowledged that he can be seen as “the establishment’s man” by his detractors.

“The only objective of those meetings was that politicians and institutions work together to turn the country into a Pakistan for which several Muslims laid their lives,” he reiterated during his address at the inauguration ceremony of Bhara Kahu bypass in Islamabad.

The premier went on to say: “People taunt me, calling me the establishment’s man. But this doesn’t bother me. Why? Because […] I did not intend to get any personal gains.”

He mentioned it was said that he was very close to former army chief and president Pervez Musharraf.

“But did I get anything [out of it]? Nawaz Sharif went to jail and so did I. Nawaz Sharif went to Attock and so did I. Nawaz Sharif went to the Landhi jail and so did I. Nawaz Sharif was sent into exile and so were I and my family. So what did I get?” he said.

The premier also urged the nation on the occasion to make determined and concerted efforts for making Pakistan regain its “grandeur and stature” and so that country was able to compete with the rest of the world.

He highlighted that Pakistan’s eastern neighbour, India, had progressed far ahead of it but at the same time said there would be nothing to worry about if the nation was resolved to work for the country’s progress.

The bypass

He recalled that the Bhara Kahu bypass project began in October 2022.

“It has been executed by the NLC (National Logistics Cell) in nine months at a cost of Rs6.25 billion,” the premier said, adding that the bypass’ construction had removed a major bottleneck and reduced travelling time for those commuting to Murree, Azad Kashmir and Galiyat.

The project, he said, would ease difficulties for several travellers commuting to these destinations from Islamabad, Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

He also mentioned that one of the challenges faced in the construction of the project was a land dispute with Quaid-i-Azam University, which was eventually settled through court.

Had there been no such challenges, the project’s construction could have been completed within the three-month period set by him initially, he added.

PM Shehbaz directed the Capital Development Authority (CDA) to plant a million trees around the bypass, of which 70,000 have already been planted.

“Make Islamabad as beautiful as Baku in Azerbaijan,” he told the CDA.

The premier announced that environment-friendly electric buses were set to reach Islamabad following the opening of letters of credit.