DIKHAN: Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Monday expressed the resolve that despite myriad economic challenges including the post-flood situation, the coalition government was determined to steer the country out of the current difficulties.
challenges including the post-flood situation, the coalition government was determined to steer the country out of the current issues.
Addressing a ceremony after laying foundation stones of different uplift communication, road, hydel and power infrastructure projects, the prime minister said “These challenges might be manifold but 220 million people of the country should not get worried, the coalition government with the support of its partners will steer the country out of the challenges.”
He said for the achievement of progress and prosperity, they would have to work hard with devotion. “Nations always faced difficulties and the coalition government will put Pakistan on path of development only through hard work,” he added.
Governor Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Haji Ghulam Ali, Minister for Planning Ahsan Iqbal, Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb, Advisor to PM on Political Affairs Engineer Amir Muqam, Amir of Jammiat-e-Ulema Islam-F Maulana Fazlur Rehman, relevant authorities and a large number of people were present on the occasion.
The prime minister said that he had laid down foundations for the commencement of mega development projects in the backward areas of the southern districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
He mentioned that during his previous visits, these areas were inundated with flood water and the people of the areas had faced immense destruction, from Nowshera, to Swat, Kalam, Kohistan, DIkhan and Tank districts were badly affected by floods.
Destruction in Swat was caused mainly due to man-made structures in the middle of course of river, he said and criticized the provincial government of PTI for its flawed policies.
The prime minister sarcastically referred that the PTI provincial government always talked about introduction of an efficient system, but the people had witnessed the crumbling of that system whereas the government’s blunders in this regard could not be neglected.
He said however, with the collective efforts made by all the governments to overcome the flood situation, but still different areas in Sindh were still under flood water and the people in Gilgit Baltistan were shivering from biting cold. The prime minister said that the federal government had allocated a huge amount of Rs90 billion for the flood affected populace and each affected family was given Rs25,000 each besides, ensuring provision of medicine and food.
The magnitude of the disaster was huge, he said, adding on 9 January a donors’ conference would be held in Geneva and they would remind the world that the climate induced calamity was the result of global carbon emissions by the developed nations.
Pakistan had less than one percent of carbon imprints, but it had been pummeled by the extreme weather due to carbon emissions by the development countries, he opined.
The prime minister further assured the nation that the federal coalition government in collaboration with the provincial governments, would not rest till the complete rehabilitation of the flood affected people.
The prime minister said that construction of Hakla-Yarak motorway which had hugely reduced the travel time from Islamabad to DIKhan had been conceived and implemented by former prime minister Nawaz Sharif.
He said the whole country had been connected with a network of motorways and Nawaz Sharif solely deserved credit for the launch of such mega projects, adding that he had laid foundation stone of the last segment of Sukkur-Hyderabad motorway section recently.
The prime minister reiterated that dream of Nawaz Sharif for the prosperous Pakistan would be fulfilled.
He regretted that during the past PTI’s government, all these uplift projects, initiated during PML-n government, were brought to grinding halt.
Citing the Hakla-DIKhan motorway, the prime minister said it was part of CPEC conceived during 2017, but the PTI government put these projects into cold storage, thus affecting the development and progress of the country.
The prime minister also regretted that due to faulty policies of PTI’s government, the friendly nations including China were dismayed.
In a veiled reference to former prime minister Imran Khan, he said that PTI leader had brought disrespect to the country after selling out the precious gifts donated by foreign leaders.
They gave these precious gifts as sign of fraternal ties with the people of Pakistan, but the former ruler sold them out in open markets, he added.
The prime minister said that when he had taken oath, he did not realize the economic disaster towards the country was heading to as Pakistan was on the verge of default, but due to the efforts of the coalition government and all other relevant institutions and prayers of the nation, they saved the country.
He said still they were faced with the economic challenges. Pakistan suffered a whopping loss of about $30 billion due to floods and these woes were multiplied by global inflation and recession, Russia and Ukraine conflict and exorbitant price of gas and oil at the international market.
