PM Shehbaz urges public to compare PML-N, PTI govt’s performance before voting in upcoming polls
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday urged the people to review the “pathetic and poor performance” of the “corruption-tainted” government of PTI with that of PML-N — which he dubbed the “pioneer of mega development projects” — before voting in the upcoming general elections.
Addressing a ceremony in Sharaqpur town of Punjab’s Sheikhapura district after laying the foundation stone of road projects, the premier said the PML-N would accept the public mandate in the upcoming polls and vowed to restore the “real image” of Pakistan if the party got another opportunity to serve the country under the leadership of his sibling and PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif.
The various development projects included a 19km-long Lahore bypass linking Kala Shah Kaku with the Lahore-Karachi Motorway at a cost of Rs35 billion.
PM Shehbaz also broke ground for the expansion of the Lahore-Karachi Motorway Saggian road and main Ravi bridge.
Later, he laid the foundation stones of the Esaan (Sharaqpur) interchange at Abdul Hakeem Motorway, the Quaid-e-Azam University campus as well as a scout college.
Declaring his brother Nawaz Sharif as “a builder of Pakistan, the man behind ending load-shedding, launching of multi dollars China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects and a builder of a vast network of roads and putting the country on the path of rapid progress,” he said Nawaz aspired to transform the country into “an Asian tiger”.
“Unfortunately, [Nawaz] Sharif’s rule was ended in 2018 through a huge conspiracy hatched against Pakistan,” the prime minister regretted. “If the PML-N was in the government during the four years of PTI’s rule, the country would have had a different destiny.”
He went on to say that during the years 2013 to 2018, under Sharif’s rule, the country was “progressing by leaps and bounds”, but afterward in the PTI’s government, the country was pushed into chaos.
PM Shehbaz said with a change in the regime, all the opposition leadership was sent to jail on the basis of fake cases, false allegations of thefts and corruption were leveled, and “even sisters and daughters were sent behind bars” during the PTI’s rule.
“The development pace spurred by the PML-N government was halted,” he added.
PM lambastes Imran, PTI
The prime minister also questioned PTI chief Imran Khan’s claim of bringing back $300 billion stashed outside Pakistan within ninety days, adding that the PTI government did not get any single penny during the four years of its rule.
Referring to the Al Qadir Trust case involving alleged whitewashing of Rs50 billion, he said, the UK National Crime Agency (NCA) had investigated the issue and after an out-of-court settlement with the other party, decided to return the amount to the government exchequer but it did not go to State Bank of Pakistan and instead to the Supreme Court where Imran’s government became a party.
A closed envelope was presented before the cabinet in this regard without showing or discussing it with the members and approval was accorded, he added.
“It was a huge crime as to how the national exchequer was plundered,” PM Shehbaz said, adding that the BRT Peshawar, Toshakhana, Malam Jabba, sugar scams, etc were the other major corruption cases of PTI.
The prime minister said the UK crime agency had also carried out an investigation against him for two years over false allegations and at the request of PTI’s government but later, gave him a clean chit.
‘Will spread a network of laptops’
The prime minister said under his youth programmes around Rs80 billion was set aside, exclaiming that if the government had more resources, he would not hesitate to allocate them for the country’s youth.
PM Shehbaz highlighted that under the laptops scheme, the students were given the gadgets due to their hard work. Due to this facility, a large number of youth had been earning a livelihood and getting an education while sitting at home, he added.
The prime minister declared that if the PML-N got another opportunity to serve the country, they would spread a “network of laptops”.
‘Can’t rely on foreign loan anymore’
He further said price hikes had burdened the poor people, but these difficulties could be overcome with collective hard work, dedication, and sincerity.
The prime minister also underlined the priorities of his government including agriculture development, information technology, exploration of minerals, etc to achieve progress.
He reiterated that life could no longer be led on foreign loans and stressed that the country’s people have to decide whether to live with respect or on begging.
Referring to the soft launch of uplift projects in the area, he expressed the confidence that it would uplift the facade of the area and ease traffic vehicular traffic, besides boosting trade activities.
The ceremony was attended by ministers, parliamentarians, concerned authorities, and a number of other people.