Nawaz to be next PM if PML-N voted to power: Shehbaz

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday said Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supreme leader Nawaz Sharif will be the next prime minister of Pakistan who will change the country's destiny by initiating projects in the sectors of agriculture, industry, and infrastructure. He was speaking at a public meeting after laying the foundation stone for the Taray Garh interchange on the Lahore-Bahawalnagar motorway and Rai Mansab Ali Khan interchange on Abdul Hakim motorway on the Bucheki-Nankana road. “Nawaz Sharif will serve the people of Pakistan as prime minister for another term if voted to power. He considers the whole of Pakistan as his family and in the past selflessly served the people,” he said. The prime minister remarked that Rs263 billion would be spent on the construction of a motorway from Lahore to Bahawalnagar and on other projects. Read more: Afghan citizens aiding suicide bombers, says Shehbaz He recalled that in the past, Pakistan suffered from load-shedding of 20 hours every day, and then Nawaz Sharif came in 2013 and "removed the darkness" from power shortages by setting up power projects, reviving industry and agriculture, and bringing the $30 billion CPEC project to Pakistan with the collaboration of China. He said that the PML-N government provided laptops worth billions of rupees to millions of students, adding that he was unfairly criticised for delivering laptops to youth who were now using modern tools of communication to earn their livelihoods. He noted that Nawaz Sharif initiated the project of Diamer-Bhasha and Dasu dams and made Pakistan a nuclear state by conducting six nuclear tests in response to five explosions by India. He reminded that Nawaz Sharif rejected the offer of $5 billion by then-US President Bill Clinton and went on with the nuclear explosions while ignoring pressure. Nawaz Sharif also started the Zarb-e-Azab operation led by Pakistan Army to eradicate terrorism, he claimed. Shehbaz said that, unfortunately, terrorists were again allowed to enter Pakistan and take innocent lives in terrorist attacks. In the era of Nawaz Sharif, the premier said, Pakistan had good relations with friendly and brotherly countries including China, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Turkey, Qatar and others. “Then Imran Niazi was imposed on the country after rigged elections in 2018 and his regime caused severe damage to relations with these countries, including Islamic countries, and he resorted to baseless allegations of corruption against companies of China,” he added. Ties with China were broken by the former government despite the fact that the neighbouring country massively invested in infrastructure, power and road projects, he pointed out. The prime minister said that former chief justice Saqib Nisar and other co-conspirators ousted Nawaz on the basis of a residence permit, even when his name was not among the 400 persons named in the Panama papers. “Nawaz Sharif and his daughter Maryam Nawaz appeared before the court 100 times in their cases and did not evade arrests as was later done by Imran Niazi, who presented a fake receipt for an expensive watch imprinted with a model of the Khana-e-Kaaba and came in court with a bucket on his head,” he added. He said that those who filed false and concocted cases against opposition leaders had now met divine justice. He said that, in the tenure of Imran Khan, several cases of corruption surfaced including wheat and sugar scams in which money was minted by unnecessary export and import of these commodities, and then these acts of fraud were never probed and citizens bore the burden of loot and plunder. He said that his government faced unprecedented challenges of inflation and devastating floods. “My government distributed Rs100 billion among the flood affectees and several hundreds of billions are still required for their rehabilitation.” He said that due to his government’s policies and distribution of seeds and fertiliser on lower rates, bumper wheat was produced while cotton production this year would also be at record levels. “My government saved the country from default and from difficult economic conditions, unemployment and price hikes by signing the agreement with the International Monetary Fund.” He said that reasons of current inflation were war in Ukraine and rising international commodity and fuel prices, adding due to the mismanagement of the past government, his government had to sign agreement with IMF despite its tough conditions. “Saudi Arabia gave $2 billion, UAE $1 billion and China rescheduled loans of $5 billion so that Pakistan could meet the financing needs for finalising the IMF agreement,” he informed. He said that as chief minister he served the people of Punjab with sincerity, undertook massive projects in health and education sectors, built road network in the province and gave free medicine to people. He vowed that their next government would bring revolution in the agriculture sector, extract minerals worth billions of dollars and equip youth with latest tools of information technology. “The youth programme would be implemented at the federal and provincial levels and more laptops would be given to the students on merit,” he added He lamented that billions of rupees were wasted on unnecessary court cases instead of a focus on mineral extraction in the provinces. He told that the National Assembly would be dissolved on August 9 and a caretaker government would be formed. He prayed for the departed souls who lost their lives in the train accident during the day and after sinking of a boat in Head Sulemanki. Earlier, the prime minister was given detailed briefing on the new infrastructure projects. Punjab Governor Balighur Rehman and legislators of PML-N accompanied the premier.

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