DERA GHAZI KHAN: Pakistan could not progress due to the wrong policies of past governments, but now the country has returned to the right track under the leadership of Prime Minister Imran Khan.

Chief Minister Usman Buzdar said this on Wednesday during his meetings with the delegations of the DG Khan Chamber of Commerce and Industry and lawyers. The chamber delegates demanded declaration of DG Khan a tax-free zone, the establishment of an industrial state, land for the building of the chamber, and funds for the construction of the Murinj dam. Mr Buzdar visited the Fateh Muhammad Buzdar Institution of Cardiology in DG Khan to inspect the pace of development of the project.

The 200-bed hospital is being built at a cost of Rs2 billion.

He said the first phase of the hospital - 100 beds - would be made functional early this year. The chief minister said that the cardiology institute would be completed on time and no compromise would be made to high standards of public welfare schemes.

Mr Buzdar made also a surprise visit to the DG Khan city by driving his vehicle and he inspected cleanliness arrangements and the provision of civic amenities to the locals. He also inspected the Pul Daat beautification project.

He laid the foundation stone of the mother and child hospital, which would be completed with Rs3.80 billion.

He also laid the foundation stone of emergency and the OPD block of the teaching hospital DG Khan and inaugurated the diagnostic imaging department.

He held an open court at the Circuit House, where women apprised him of their problems.

Mr Buzdar inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of 11 different projects during his visit to Barthi and Sallari areas in Koh-i-Suleman. He inaugurated a bridge on the Nullah Sunghar and road work of road from Zain to Barthi. He inaugurated the upgrade and construction of the boundary wall of Barthi graveyard.

He was briefed about the road construction project from N-55 Chokiwala to N-70 Chappar in Balochistan. He laid the foundation stone of a 122km road project as the construction and expansion of the road would cost Rs8.93 billion. He said he was working to resolve problems of backward areas.

“I’ve become the chief minister to remove deprivations of the people and I’m going to such areas, where no minister or chief minister ever set foot in the past,” he concluded.

Published in Dawn, February 3rd, 2022