RAWALPINDI: Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed on Wednesday said every party and politician wanted to be patronised by the establishment, terming the debate on the return of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif useless.

“Every party wishes that the establishment patronises it, but at the same time, raises slogans of giving respect to vote… however, it is the decision of the establishment to support an elected government only,” Mr Ahmed said during his visit to the under-construction Mother and Child Hospital at Asghar Mall in Rawalpindi.

He was accompanied by Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Health Dr Faisal Sultan as well as senior health officials of Punjab.

Mr Ahmed said useless hype had been created about the return of Nawaz Sharif.

“It does not matter whether he comes or not; it will not make any difference to the government,” he said, adding it was strange that people who spent most of their lives in this country eventually left it instead of loving it.

“People went abroad for medical treatment instead of availing healthcare facility here,” he said.

The minister reiterated his offer of a one-way ticket to Pakistan for Nawaz Sharif.

Talking about the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), an alliance of opposition parties, the minister said he wanted the alliance to move the date of its protest from March 23 to the 30th as it coincided with Pakistan Day celebrations.

“For the first time, Pakistan Air Force will introduce J10 C fighter jets during the fly past in collaboration with China and these fighter airplanes are an answer to Rafale jets,” Mr Ahmed said.

“I requested them to change the date of the long march as many special guests will arrive in the country for the March 23 parade, therefore maintaining law and order is our priority,” he said, adding that no one would be allowed to take law into their hands, and if they do, law would take its course.

Mr Ahmed said they would take part in the next general elections under the leadership of Imran Khan.

“Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) government, under PM Khan, will not only complete its tenure but also come into power again,” he added.

He said Rawalpindi’s Mother and Child Hospital worth Rs6 billion as well as the Leh Nullah and Ring Road projects would be completed before the present government’s term ended.

The minister said Prime Minister Khan would inaugurate the hospital on Feb 28, 2022 as 90 per cent work on the hospital was completed.

The hospital would be a state-of-the-art facility and would be included in the Prime Minister’s Health Card scheme for the residents of Punjab, he said, adding that the Provincial Central Development Working Party (CDWP) had approved the Leh Expressway project on which work would be started soon.

“The Executive Committee of National Economic Council (Ecnec) had also approved the project” and the residents on both sides of Leh Expressway would be allowed to construct plazas and commercial buildings, Mr Ahmed said.

The interior minister said he was working on getting two more blocks constructed in the CDA Hospital in Islamabad. “I face hurdles in carrying out development work in my constituency but not in Islamabad as there was no shortage of funds there,” he added.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr Faisal Sultan said the 400-bed hospital would be the first state-of-the-art facility of its kind in the country.

The hospital was being constructed on 200 kanals and a huge amount had been spent on it, he added.

Dr Sultan said health cards would be issued in Islamabad, Azad Kashmir Gilgit-Baltistan and in Punjab from Jan 1.

“Health cards would change the lives of citizens as they would be able to avail costly medical treatment from public and private-sector hospitals,” he added.

Published in Dawn, December 30th, 2021