- Nawaz Sharif hits out at Khan for lack of development in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
- Maulana Fazl says ‘those afraid of rodents in KP are laying hands on ‘lions of Punjab’
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Tuesday announced the establishment of an international airport in Bannu, alongside other development projects in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) “aimed at making it a Naya KP”. PM Sharif, however, used the occasion to take several digs at his key rival, Imran Khan, and asked him where his new KP is, which he promised to the people during general elections of 2013.
Addressing a public meeting in Bannu, he said those chanting slogans of new Pakistan had failed to deliver.
The meeting was also addressed by Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) Chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman and former KP chief minister Akram Khan Durrani. Maulana Fazlur Rehman has thrown his weight behind the prime minister who is still battling corruption allegations in the wake of the release of Panama Papers. He said that the present government has launched a number of mega development projects to make a new Pakistan.
‘I DO NOT SEE A NEW KP’:
The prime minister said the masses should differentiate between those who are pursuing a development agenda and those who are doing politics of anarchy and chaos. He said the PTI government had been claiming to have created a new KP but he did not see it anywhere.
The prime minister said the Supreme Court declared that no rigging had taken place in the general elections of 2013 which was a slap on the face of those alleging rigging. He said those falsely claiming rigging did not apologies after they were proven wrong. He said now-a-days those same people had come up with new allegations.
The prime minister said they had once again left the matter to the Supreme Court. He said if corruption of a single penny is proven, they will go home at once.
He said they have come to power with the mandate of the people and are not afraid of the hollow slogans and cheap tactics of their opponents.
The prime minister said they do not have a government in Khyber Pakhtunkhawa but they will continue to serve the people of the province. He said those who had blown the trumpets of prosperity in the general elections of 2013, had done nothing for the development of the province.
Nawaz Sharif said the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) will change the destiny of the region. It will benefit the whole country including Bannu, he said.
DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS:
He reiterated that load shedding will be ended by 2018. He said the government is also focusing on the provision of cheap electricity to the people. He said power is being supplied to all the industries round the clock. He said gas shortage will also be overcome.
On the occasion, the prime minister announced the establishment of a university in Lakki Marwat and industrial and economic zones in Bannu. He said this will bring prosperity and provide employment opportunities.
He said Baran Dam will be rehabilitated and capacity of the Bannu power plant will be enhanced. He announced rehabilitation and repair of the Indus Highway. He also announced that Bannu airport will be upgraded to international standards. He said passport offices are being established in Karak and Lukki Marwat.
He announced a grant of Rs 200 million for district and tehsil councils of Bannu.
The prime minister said the internally displaced persons have sacrificed for peace in the country and work for their rehabilitation will be speeded up.
“This is ‘Naya Pakistan’,” he hit out at the PTI with their oft-repeated slogan.
‘LIONS OF PUNJAB’:
Addressing the gathering, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rahman mocked the PTI leadership saying that the ones afraid of rodents are laying their hands on ‘lions of Punjab’.
“Not only has the PTI chairman crossed all ethical limits in his Lahore rally, his supporters had also disrespected women participants,” he said.
Arguing that Imran Khan and his associates, the so-called claimants of the mandate of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, were hampering the development process in the province, Fazl affirmed that the PTI was ignorant of even very word of “development”.
He also rejected PTI’s claim of not taking it into confidence on the matter of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, saying they should first of all come out of their slumber because only those who were awake were taken into confidence.
Fazl further said that Imran Khan should conduct self-introspection before talking about offshore companies held by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s sons since his (Imran) right-hand aides had admitted of having offshore companies and loans written off.
Fazl accredited the ruling PML-N with political vision. He said if the accountability was held, it will be held across the board.
“The process of accountability will not be limited to the prime minister alone,” he said.
Voicing support for his leader, Federal Minister Akram Khan Durrani said the PTI-led government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa will be toppled within a month if the PM orders.