Punjab Chief Minister Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif condemning drone attacks in North Waziristan, said those who had died in the attacks were as much the sons of the soil as those living in Lahore or Karachi and their blood was as precious as that of the people of any city of Pakistan.
Shahbaz further said drone attacks had undermined national sovereignty of Pakistan as well as its geographical integrity and if this nefarious process continued no area of Pakistan would be safe from the intrusion of foreign powers. He said he believed that after Abbotabad and Salala check post tragedies, there should not be any misconception in this regard, adding that unfortunately, things had become this worse because those in power were least concerned about the life of the people, national sovereignty or the self-esteem of the nation. He further said under the circumstances, people have nothing but hatred and resentment for their rulers, adding that if the rulers had any self-respect, the drone strikes could be stopped within a day.
The CM further said it was also unfortunate that the self-styled leaders who are politicking over 20th Amendment and threatening of civil war over irregularities in the electoral rolls were maintaining a criminal silence over drone attacks and were oblivious to the missiles attacks in northern areas and the blood-soaked dead bodies of their Pakistani brethren and sisters. Shahbaz further said Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz would continue to register the protest against the drone attacks. He said if the policy of merit had been followed, no foreign power would have threatened the country’s sovereignty.
He said laptops were being given to talent students without recommendation of any MNA and asked the medical students to serve the ailing humanity. He said the PML-N would turn Pakistan into an Islamic Welfare state. He said the provincial government had constructed 400 bed hospital, flyovers, craft bazaar and roads in Bahawalpur without any foreign assistance.
LAPTOPS: The CM said the Punjab govt had refused assistance and had bought and distributed laptops worth Rs 4 billion from its own resources, adding that other projects were also underway. He was addressing a function of distribution of laptops among talented male and female students at Dring Stadium Bahawalpur on Saturday. Provincial Minister Iqbal Channar, Special Assistant Zaeem Qadri, MPAs Saud Majeed, Baligh-ur-Rehman, Jehanzeb Waran, Kazim Pirzada, Haji Zulfiqar Ali, Parveen Masaud Bhatti, Islamia University VC, Taskforce Chairman Samiullah Chaudhry, teachers, parents and thousands of students attended the function.
Shahbaz said Pakistan was a nuclear state and there was no reason for the government to go around begging. He said laptops were being distributed amongst 7,000 students in Bahawalpur only and expressed the hope that the students would use in a befitting manner. He said the distribution of laptops was a great step and it would assist the students in acquiring knowledge for the betterment of the country.
