Hitting out at his political opponents for their efforts to discredit him, embattled Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said on Friday that terrorists and his political opponents both have identical agenda of preventing the country’s development, prosperity of the people and creating uncertainty and law and order problems.
The prime minister was addressing a gathering in Sukkur after the groundbreaking ceremony of Multan-Sukkur motorway.
The prime minister, being increasingly put under pressure by the opposition parties, especially Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), took another swing at his opponents, likening them to “terrorists” bent upon halting progress in Pakistan.
Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) has broken out the same counter-narrative they used to gain an upper hand during the sit-ins in 2014. However, talk of development projects from a prime minister facing corruption charges is not sitting well with the general public, which appears to be forcing the prime minister to up the ante.
In an unprecedented statement, the prime minister said, “People should think twice about which side they want to be on.”
WHO ARE TERRORISTS, ACCORDING TO PM?
“What do terrorists do? They wish to halt progress in Pakistan,” he said. Referring to the opposition, he asked: “What is the agenda of those who agitate?”
“Don’t they try to stop progress in Pakistan? Don’t they try to disrupt peace? What is the difference between them and terrorists?” he questioned.
Nawaz Sharif said today’s Pakistan is better than that of three years ago. In this connection he referred to the situation in Balochistan and Karachi, the reduced load shedding, improved law and order and economic situation in the country. He said the industry is getting 24 hours of electricity and gas while electricity has been made cheaper by 30%. He assured that the electricity will be made cheaper when the ongoing power projects are completed in 2018. He said he is bound to fulfill his commitment of ending load shedding by 2018.
Prime Minister Nawaz vowed that terrorists and elements pursuing an agenda of agitation will not be allowed to sabotage the government’s development plans.
The prime minister said evil designs of the opponents of development will be frustrated and his government will continue to sincerely and honestly work for the welfare and prosperity of the people. He said transparency is the hallmark of all mega development projects initiated and completed by his government in all its tenures.
He said Pakistan is moving towards a bright future but his opponents want to take it towards darkness with their dharnas and agitations. He was confident that the people of Pakistan would reject these people as unlike the protestors, they want an end to load shedding, unemployment and poverty and want to provide education to their children. He said he will continue the task of development with full spirit.
‘WE ARE THE ONES WORKING FOR COUNTRY’S DEVELOPMENT’:
The prime minister said in the last three years, they have honestly served the country and this has been verified by transparency international and the international credit rating agencies. He said this is a proof that the PML-N government is working sincerely for development and prosperity of the country. He said he has not done corruption of a single penny, otherwise the Musharraf regime would have unearthed it during their 9 years.
Nawaz Sharif said today his dream is coming true which he had seen several years ago to build motorways to link Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Punjab, Sindh and Balochistan. He said he once again got the opportunity in 2013 and he would fulfill this dream.
He said the motorway project will link Gwadar and Karachi with Kashgar in China. Similarly the Motorway will go to Turkmenistan, Tajikstan, Uzbekistan, China, Iran and Afghanistan as we have to link Pakistan with these countries. He said this would benefit three billion people residing in Central Asia, China and SAARC countries. He said the future of this region is bright.
The prime minister thanked China for investing such a huge amount on CPEC. He said this would have been done much earlier but was delayed due to dharnas and negative politics by Pakistani politicians. He said the nation is aware of who is supporting CPEC and who is opposing it.
He said he can see a bright future for Pakistan and hoped that the country would soon join the ranks of developed countries.
SUKKUR-MULTAN MOTORWAY:
He said his government also took an important decision to strengthen the defence of the country and referred to the 1998 nuclear tests and other steps he had taken to make the country’s defence impregnable.
He said the 393 km long Sukkur-Multan Motorway, which would cost Rs 294 billion, would be completed by next year. He announced that a 296 km long motorway section between Hyderabad and Sukkur would be initiated this year. He said when the motorway is completed between Karachi and Peshawar, people would be able to reach their destinations in hours.
The Prime Minister also announced to construct a new bridge over Indus River in Sukkur at a cost of Rs 6.5 billion and said work on it will start this year. He said that the 125-year old bridge would be maintained as a national heritage.
The prime minister addressed Leader of the Opposition Syed Khursheed Shah saying that the federal government is building bridges in his area, while the opposition leader is demanding the PM’s resignation. He said he still considers Khursheed Shah a friend and it would have been better if the opposition leader was present at the function.
Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif performed the groundbreaking ceremony of the 393 km-long Sukkur to Multan highway.
The project is a part of the Peshawar-Karachi Motorway and falls under the CPEC. It will be completed with financial assistance from China.
The six-lane motorway passing through Multan-Jalalpur Peerwala, Ahmed Pur East, Ubaro and Pano Aqil will terminate at Sukkur.
A total of 54 bridges will be constructed, including one major bridge on the river Sutlej. The construction of 12 service areas, 10 rest areas, 11 interchanges, 10 flyovers and 426 underpasses is also part of the project.
On arrival, the prime minister was received by Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah.