- Says violators of law will be dealt with iron fist, dismisses possibility of elections before 2018
- Sharif to attend SAARC summit in Nepal on Wednesday, inaugurate Hazara Motorway project on Saturday
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said Sunday that it is the responsibility of the government to save the law, constitution and the system from “paralysis” and anyone resorting to violence on November 30 would be dealt with as per the law.
In a meeting with Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif at Raiwind, the premier said that people can now differentiate between those who were serving them and those who were not.
“The nation has rejected those who resort to sit-ins on every occasion,” said the premier.
The PM said that the masses had given their verdict in General Elections 2013 and those who had been rejected must wait for the next polls. He dismissed rumours of elections before 2018 and vowed to continue to serve the masses.
It should be mentioned here that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has given a call to hold an anti-government protest rally in Islamabad on November 30 while PTI’s sit-in in the federal capital to protest against “election rigging” has already completed more than 100 days.
Sharif said that ridding the people of the country from terrorism was the main priority of the government. He said Operation Zarb-e-Azb was continuing successfully. The success of the operation is the success of the whole nation, he added.
The premier said progress and development were the hallmarks of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government and appealed to all political parties to support PML-N in its journey towards development.
A NEW MOTORWAY:
Keeping in line with the government’s development agenda, the premier is expected to perform ground-breaking ceremony of Hazara Motorway project on Saturday. The 60-kilometre Hazara Motorway will be constructed at a cost of Rs31 billion. The four-lane road would be a part of Pak-China Economic Corridor agreement and would reduce driving time by 30 minutes from Islamabad to Havelian, where a Dry Port would also be constructed.
PM, SAARC, NEPAL:
The premier is scheduled to visit the two-day 18th SAARC summit which will start in Kathmandu on Wednesday. On the sidelines of the event, Sharif will meet other leaders of SAARC countries to discuss issues of bilateral and regional interest.
The theme of the summit is Deeper Integration for Peace and Prosperity. Pakistan’s foreign secretary is presently in Kathmandu to represent Pakistan in the SAARC Standing Committee Meeting whereas the SAARC Council of Ministers meeting on Tuesday will be attended by Adviser to PM on National Security and Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz.
“Pakistan attaches great importance to regional cooperation and is committed to the SAARC process. Pakistan believes that the SAARC region has the potential to become the engine for global economic growth in the 21st century,” said Foreign Office spokesperson Tasneem Aslam.