SHEIKHUPURA: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has invited his political opponents to visit development projects being executed by the government, including motorways and power generation plants, and acknowledge its efforts to make the country prosperous.

“Staging sit-ins and observing protest is not a solution to any problem,” he said during the inspection of work on the M3 section of the Lahore-Karachi motorway near Nankana on Wednesday.

He expressed the confidence that the nation would reward the Pakis­tan Muslim League-N (PML-N) for undertaking massive development projects by offering it victory in the coming general elections.

PM inspects work on M3 section of Lahore-Karachi motorway near Nankana

The prime minister said the government was making efforts to turn the country into an ‘Asian tiger’ and expressed the hope that the dream would be fulfilled in near future.

A 2,600km thoroughfare between Khunjerab and Gwadar was being constructed, he said and added that after it was completed within the shortest period of two years, Central Asian countries would be linked with Pakistan.

“Before we came to power in 2013, the country was plunged into darkness,” he said. “The Pakistan Peoples Party government had destroyed national economy and the country was facing the threat of bankruptcy.”

He said the PML-N’s manifesto focused on serving the nation and undertaking development projects in different sectors, including health and education.

“On the other hand, our political rivals are bent upon creating hurdles and obstructions in our way.”

However, Mr Sharif added, “We are not afraid of our opponents’ nefarious designs but will continue our journey to provide relief to masses.

APP adds: The prime minister said his government was undertaking a series of projects across the country, including many in Gilgit Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir.

In a few years, he said, Pakistan would emerge as a strong economy and a regional power. “This is the Pakistan of the 21st century and this is called the new Pakistan.”

Published in Dawn, May 11th, 2017