Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani on Saturday said safe and improved communication and proper road infrastructure is mandatory for the development of a country. Gilani said this while addressing 13th annual award-distribution ceremony of National Highway and Motorway Police (NH&MP) here at the Prime Minister’s Secretariat. A safe and modern road network was a key to the development of the country,” he added.
The prime minister appreciated the initiatives taken by the motorway police to combat terrorism and said it was a challenge that requires readiness and unity of purpose from all segments of the society. “We will do everything we can to empower and enable the National Highways and Motorway Police to combat it,” he said. The prime minister also paid homage to the motorway police employees who laid their lives while providing protection and security to the general public. The government is committed to providing safety and security to the people, he added. He observed the motorway police was proving to be the soft face of the government in implementing the law. The effectiveness of the friendly culture introduced by this force was bearing results in the form of decrease in accident rates, traffic violations and serious crimes on the highways, he said and added the promotion of traffic culture was not merely possible through application of traffic rules and regulations. It should be complemented by a consistent effort to educate and motivate the people through enhanced awareness, he opined. He was of the views that communication and road infrastructure played an important role in the development of any country. “We will do everything we can to empower and enable the National Highways and Motorway Police to combat terrorism. I am pleased to note that the force is expanding its operation to other national arteries like RCD Highway, Sukkur-Jacobabad- Quetta Road and Hassanabdal-Mansehra Highway. This is certainly going to be a challenging task for the motorway police. Knowing the track record of the force, I am sure the motorway police will live up to the challenge,” he said. He claimed the government was firmly committed to the principle of merit and a level-playing field for everyone. “We firmly believe this is a pre-requisite to good governance. We believe that this principle has to be adhered to both during induction and placement of officials, he concluded.
