Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has said his government wanted cooperative relations with India.
He was addressing PML-N lawmakers and people from different walks of life at his Jati Umrah residence on Eid day. He said terrorists played with the lives of people on the eve of Eid and as a result there was grief all over the country.
He said the PML-N government wanted cooperative relations with all countries, including India as they wanted peace in the region.
He said the government inherited terrorism; law and order situation and power load shedding and was dealing with these issues with utmost attention. He was confident that the government would overcome these problems as it was endeavouring to address them with sincerity of purpose. However, he made it clear that these are very serious issues and would take time.
He said a number of agreements have been signed with Chinese firms to set up ten power plants to generate electricity in Gadani through gas and coal. He said the power plants would generate 6,600MW of electricity and another 10,000MW would be added in the system in the next five years.
The PM said it would take time to completely bring an end to load shedding. He said power theft is a major issue as these thieves are not allowing the electricity to reach the consumers. He however said the government would deal with these thieves effectively.
He said the government has made a remarkable achievement by resolving the circular debt issue and reducing the load-shedding.
The PM said the government is fully committed to eliminating terrorism to restore peace and stability in the country.
Meanwhile, through a message, Nawaz urged the people to promote democratic values and culture as a necessary tool of promoting tolerance, peace and harmony, besides alleviating violence, extremism and sufferings of non-Muslim brethren.
“I am confident that together we shall make Pakistan a strong, progressive and tolerant nation where the minorities have equal rights,” he said in his message on Minorities Day commemorated on Sunday.
The prime minister said the government has struggled to uphold the rights of the people of different faiths and will continue its struggle to do even more.
He said, “August 11 is a special day in our national calendar when we reiterate our commitment to the ideals of the Quaid-e-Azam to continue striving for the protection of the rights of all faiths and bringing them in the mainstream of national life.”
On this day, he said, “we reaffirm our pledge to honour the commitment made by our great leaders of according equal treatment to all our citizens irrespective of their religion, caste and creed.”
He said the Day marks the vision of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah that he highlighted in his address to the Constituent Assembly on August 11, 1947.
Nawaz said Minorities Day “provides us an opportunity to reassure that despite the diversity in our faiths, we are one nation and are working together for a united and prosperous Pakistan”.
By observing this day, he said,” we were also giving a clear message to the world that Pakistani society was based on religious harmony, social justice, and human equality.”
