Musharraf offered prime minister’s position: Shehbaz

• PML-N govt ensures recruitments of youth purely on merit basis, Shehbaz says

LAHORE: Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday claimed that former president General (r) Pervez Musharraf offered him the office of prime minister during his presidential tenure.

Addressing an event pertaining to a contract between Punjab Land Authority and NADRA, Shehbaz said he turned down Musharraf’s offer by thanking him.

Shehbaz Sharif also claimed that the Punjab government has successfully eliminated corrupt practices from the province. He said that the 150-years old patwari culture was the worst possible system of administration.

“The corrupt system is a thing of past,” he said. “Punjab’s land record system is ranked number one in the world.”

The chief minister also said that the relevant authorities should take action against corrupt patwaris.

“The farmers of Pakistan were oppressed by the patwari system,” said Shehbaz. “Records used to be tampered with but that system is a thing of past now.”

Shehbaz continued to say that farmers can easily obtain loans against their property documents.

“Farmers are able to purchase fertilizers for half the price, thousands of farmers have the facility to obtain interest-free loans, and cheaper electricity is being provided to tube wells,” he said while adding that since after the computerised system was introduced, complaints regarding corruption in the land record have been decreased considerably.

“The impression created by the National Accountability Burea (NAB) that the Punjab government is not cooperating is false,” the Punjab chief minister said.

“Officials have clear instructions to lend full cooperation to NAB.”

“We are not worried about anything. The Punjab government has served the nation and we will never support any corrupt officer,” he said.

Shehbaz stated that the province has conducted the process of self-accountability and has no objections to the role of NAB.

“The process of accountability is always impartial,” he said. “We have no objection to NAB’s role.

The chief minister also said that during the PML-N’s tenure, recruitments of youth purely on merit basis was ensured.

He also said that the World Bank had given Punjab the first position because of the reforms introduced in the province under the PML-N’s government.