Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday said that solid economic policies of Pakistan Muslim League-N government were yielding positive results and economy had improved.
Talking to a delegation of PML-N workers here, he said foreign exchange reserves had also increased. He said all necessary measures were being taken under the leadership of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif for the development of industries, increase in job opportunities and investment besides elimination of energy crisis.
He said that work was in progress speedily on a number of energy projects with investment of billions of rupees and thousands of megawatts electricity would be available in 2017-18 with the completion of power projects.
Sharif said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, efforts were being made round-the-clock for overcoming poverty, ignorance, unemployment and load shedding and the problems of the country would be resolved due to sincere efforts of the government.
He said that the enlightened people of the country knew who was serving them and who was hampering the process of progress, therefore, these elements were totally rejected by the people in by-elections and all the three phases of local bodies elections.
“These elements should give up negative politics in the interest of the country and adopt a positive approach,” he added. The chief minister said that the aim of politics of PML-N is to serve the people and bring the deprived segments of the society into mainstream of development, therefore, under the leadership of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, resources had been diverted to the welfare of the poor masses and uplift of less-developed areas.
He said that funds were a sacred trust and were being spent only on the projects of provision of basic amenities to the citizens.
He said that solution of energy crisis was among the top priorities of PML-N government and the agreements signed with local and foreign companies for investment in energy sector were being speedily implemented. Sharif said that under China Pakistan Economic Corridor, an investment of 33 billion dollars was being made in energy projects. He said that work was being carried out speedily on coal-based power projects in Sahiwal and powerhouses of 3600 megawatts to be operated with gas were being established in Punjab.
The PML-N workers while expressing views expressed the confidence that due to the efforts of PML-N leadership, energy problem would be resolved and the goal of progress and development would be achieved.
CM Sharif set to visit Nizamuddin shrine: The beginning of 2016 will see India and Pakistan taking fresh guard to ramp up bilateral engagements with a meeting between the foreign secretaries but it could also see a bout of dargah diplomacy to underline the new significance being attached to religious tourism in ties.
Indian newspaper Times of India, quoting official sources reported on Sunday that Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif, is likely to visit India next month. Both sides are in touch to facilitate meetings for him with Indian leaders including PM Narendra Modi in the last week of January.
With approval from the Indian government, Shehbaz has been invited by the management committee of the Nizamuddin Auliya shrine to take part in the urs of the 13th century Sufi saint whose life epitomized peace and goodwill.
Confirming the invitation, Nizamuddin chief Khadim Tahir Nizami said he had visited the shrine several decades earlier too. Diplomats in the Indian capital said the visit could be used by both countries to expand the ambit of the composite dialogue process which was resumed recently under the new name of comprehensive bilateral dialogue. The fresh dialogue process will likely have additional components apart from those mentioned in the composite dialogue. One important addition, according to both sides, is going to be religious tourism.
Facilitation of religious tourism was not just mentioned in the Islamabad statement as one of the issues which will be addressed under the new dialogue but also figured in the Ufa statement in July – issued after a meeting between the prime ministers – as one of the five steps to be taken by both countries.
According to sources , one reason why India felt it was time to move on from its focus on the Mumbai attacks trial, without disowning the past as a source put it, was the significance being attached to religious tourism and humanitarian issues by people of both countries. The fact that Geeta became such an issue with people from both countries calling for her to be united with her parents also apparently played on the minds of Indian authorities.
Foreign Secretary Aizaz Ahmed Chaudhary will be in India next month for a meeting with his counterpart S Jaishankar. As the statement in Islamabad said, the two officials will work out the modalities and schedule of the meetings under the comprehensive dialogue including peace and security, CBMs, Jammu and Kashmir, Siachen, Sir Creek, Wullar Barrage and Tulbul Navigation Project, people to people exchanges and religious tourism.
