Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi on Saturday that said a national dialogue must be held to evolve consensus for new province but it should not be used as mere election slogan.
Addressing a public gathering here after inaugurating Multan-Shujabad section of Sukkur-Multan Motorway (M-5), the prime minister said many other countries had also created new provinces that was possible in Pakistan too.
Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbassi has said the country can only be taken forward through the political process and democracy. He said the sit-ins were staged to destabilise the PML-N government, but it continued the journey of progress and accomplished uplift projects just in five years, which were not done in last 65 years.
He pointed out that Punjab got funds less than other provinces, but anyone visiting the province would notice major transformation in its towns. He said his government did not make mere announcements; rather it materialised the projects and this fact was acknowledged by the world.
He said today the slogan of South Punjab province was being raised by those who used to sit on the right and left of Musharraf. “Why didn’t they create this province then? Where were these people at that time?” he raised questions. He categorically declared national consensus was needed for the creation of new provinces, including South Punjab, in the country. He said all major political parties formed governments, some in Sindh and others in KP, but the difference between Punjab and other provinces was quite visible.
He said South Punjab province should not be used as a mere election slogan and a national dialogue should be held on it. He said before going to vote, the residents of South Punjab should see which party had done development in South Punjab. He said the slogan for South Punjab province surfaced in last election but those people who raised this slogan did not even talk of this issue after the election for five years.
He declared the decision of elections and politics would be made at polling stations and the people would give their verdict in July. “On one side there is politics of abuses and blames and, on the other side there is PML-N that has set platform for national development and public service. If you want development, the decision is not difficult,” he added.
The premier said that despite high temperature, there was minimum loadshedding in the country and the power generation projects launched by the government would make the country self-reliant for electricity. He said the others could not even dream of what the PML-N had delivered so far. He disclosed 10,400 megawatts electricity was added to the national grid by the government to resolve the power crisis in the country.
He said a total of 20,000 megawatt electricity was generated in the country in last 65 years but the PML-N government generated 10,400 megawatt in just five years. He said the power generation projects launched by his government would make the country self-reliant for next 20 years. He said the motorways being constructed by his government would cut the travel time between Multan and Lahore short to two and a half hours, Islamabad four hours and Karachi eight hours. He said these projects would be accomplished by next year.
He said Lowari Tunnel project was also accomplished by Nawaz Sharif’s government at a cost of Rs28 billion after a delay of 45 years. He disclosed that funds for the construction of bridge on Chenab river between Shujabad and Khangarh had been allocated and work would start after five months. He added the work for the expansion of Shujabad-Lodhran road would also be begin very soon. He also announced Rs10 lakh each for the five deceased labourers, who were killed in an accident, and Rs5 lakh each for the injured.
APP adds from Shujabad and Kot Mithan: Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi said a national dialogue must be held to evolve consensus for the creation of a new province, but it should not be used as mere election slogan.
Addressing a public gathering here after inaugurating Multan-Shujabad section of Sukkur-Multan Motorway (M-5), the prime minister said many countries had created new provinces, and it was also possible in Pakistan. He was accompanied by Governor Punjab Muhammad Rafiq Rajwana and Minister for Water Resources Javed Ali Shah.
Earlier, the prime minister unveiled the plaque of the project what he said had been completed a year ahead of schedule.
The Sukkur-Multan Motorway is part of Karachi-Lahore Motorway Project and is being constructed under China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) that would cost Rs 294 billion.
Work on the motorway was started in 2016 and is scheduled to be completed by 2019. It is a six-lane access controlled facility, taking off from Sukkur and terminating at Multan, after passing through several major cities, including Ghotki, Rahim Yar Khan, Sadiqabad and Bahawalpur.
The prime minister said despite severe shortage of water in reservoirs, the government was ensuring uninterrupted power supply, particularly during Sehr and Iftar timings.
He said the power plants, being installed by the government, would meet the power needs of the country for the next 20 years.
He said after completion of the motorway, the people from Shujabad would be able to reach Lahore within two and a half hours and Karachi within seven to eight hours.
He said the credit for completion of Lowari Tunnel project also goes to the present government that had been lingering on for the last 45 years.
He said the Punjab government had changed the face of the cities and villages in the province despite getting lowest funds as compared to other provinces. Prime Minister Abbasi said even the government was threatened of umpire’s finger, but it kept up its course of national development.
He told the gathering that funds for Shujabad-Khangarh Bridge on the River Chenab had been allocated in PSDP and work would start within four to five months. The project would reduce the distance between Multan-DG Khan Divisions from 75 to six kilometers.
The prime minister affirmed a railway stop of Pakistan Express at Shujabad would also be set up within a few days and Shujabad-Lodhran road would be widened in the next fiscal year.
The prime minister announced a compensation of Rs 1 million for the heirs of the five labourers killed in an accident on the motorway and Rs 0.5 million for the injured.
This would be in addition to the compensation to be paid by their employer firm, he added.
Shahid Khaqan Abbasi advised the people to use their vote to elect a deserving party in the upcoming general elections in July this year else they would have to repent for next five years. The prime minister said addressing a public gathering at Kot Mithan after inaugurating Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Bridge over the River Indus here.
He was accompanied by Punjab Governor Rafiq Rajwana, Minister for Water Resources Javed Ali Shah and other parliamentarians from the area.
Completed at a cost of Rs 8 billion, the bridge would provide an important communication link across the Indus River between Zahirpur on GT Road (N-5) and Indus Highway (N-55).
The bridge will greatly facilitate the traffic from Karachi, Kashmore etc on the Western side and Rahim Yar Khan, Bahawalpur, Multan, Faisalabad and Lahore on the Eastern side, being a short route from Karachi to Lahore.
The prime minister told the gathering that work on the bridge was started during the previous government but, like other projects, it was also left incomplete.
He said the bridge was located close to the Sukkur-Multan Motorway that would cost Rs 294 billion and reduce the distance from Kot Mithan to Lahore to four hours and seven hours to Karachi.
He said South Punjab card was also used during last elections, although the Punjab Assembly had already passed a resolution for the purpose. He said besides South Punjab, there was also a demand for Bahawalpur and other provinces and stressed the need for national dialogue to resolve the issue.
He said two days ago, a national consensus was evolved to enact law for the merger of Fata with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa that could also be replicated to resolve other national issues.
The prime minister said those who had arisen for South Punjab province joined another political party within days and advised people not to fall prey to any slogans. He said such people should have waited for the end of government’s term as the deserters could never win respect among the masses.
The prime minister said the federal government had formulated a policy to establish a university in every district and Rajanpur would also benefit from it.
