Fraud 2018 elections destroyed national development: PM Shehbaz

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has declared that the “fraud and fake” elections of 2018 had bulldozed the national development as the PTI government had abolished a raft of projects, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.

The prime minister said that the incumbent government had fulfilled all the conditions of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the global lender now has no more excuse to delay the revival of the loan programme. 

Addressing a ceremony after reviewing the construction work on six-lane overhead bridge of Imamia Colony railway crossing in Shahdra near Lahore on Saturday, the prime minister said there existed economic challenges but the nation would have to decide whether they would live on foreign debts or to stand on its feet by carving a niche among the comity of nations with honesty, dedication and hard work.

Shehbaz Sharif expressed the optimism that despite different challenges, Pakistan would soon be out of all difficulties. If the chronic issue of loadshedding, the scourge of terrorism could end, free medicines could be provided to the poor, road infrastructure could be laid, then surely, the country could move on the path of progress and prosperity, the PM maintained.

Shehbaz Sharif said those nations always achieved milestones that took lead with definite decisions over their future, adding the country was not created to move on debts and act like beggar because their forefathers and different generations had given sacrifices for the motherland.

Referring to the terms of International Monetary Fund (IMF) for seeking loan agreement, the prime minister said that they did every effort to implement them. “Even, they sought bilateral financial support from the friendly nations including China that realized their problems and provided a rollover of $2 billion loan besides, returning back previous debt amount paid back by Pakistan,” he added.

Shehbaz Sharif also expressed his gratitude to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. The UAE had committed a loan of $3 billion. He lauded the efforts of Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Finance Minister Senator Ishaq Dar and Chief of Army Staff General Asim Munir for making efforts in this regard.

The prime minister averred that the IMF has now has no excuse to delay the loan programme revival.

The ceremony was attended by Punjab Caretaker Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi, parliamentarians, chief secretary, National Highway Authority chairman and relevant authorities.

He said “There was a risk in the free flour distribution scheme but relief was provided to the public. I hope this scheme will conclude amicably for which I commend Punjab Chief Minister Syed Mohsin Raza Naqvi for his efforts to make it a success.”

The prime minister said that inflation and price hike, no doubt, had made the lives of ordinary people difficult, but the coalition government was cognizant of these affects. He urged the nation to work hard by day and night and transform the country into the visions of Quaid-i-Azam and Allama Iqbal.

Shehbaz Sharif cited the pace of development and uplift projects across Punjab province during Nawaz Sharif’s tenure, regretting that during the last four years of PTI government, brakes were applied on development, ending a number of public welfare-oriented projects, besides putting other vital projects into the cold storage.

Recounting the public welfare projects initiated during Nawaz Sharif’s tenure, the PM said, some of them included the greater Iqbal Park, Metro Bus service, cricket ground, power projects to overcome 20 hours loadshedding which was ended in 2018 and that was a huge achievement.

But during 2018, Shehbaz Sharif said through ‘a fraud and fake election’, polling results were rigged and the results were changed. With such move, the development pace was snatched which also saw a height of corruption in the province during PTI government. Whereas, the PML-N government had strived to eliminate the curse during its terms, he added.

The prime minister reminded the people that during his tenure as provincial chief minister, The Mall and Gulberg roads were washed but now, these roads had been left in delipidated condition by the former rulers.

The PM said during his 12 years terms as the chief minister, he had provided flour to the people at subsidized rates, but for the first time in the country’s history, about 80 to 100 million people were being benefited from the free flour scheme for which Rs65 billion rupees were spent in the month of Ramazan alone.

About the construction of flyovers, he said that one each flyover Imamia Colony was being completed by the federal government and the other at Shahdara by the provincial government.

He said the Metro Bus project from Shahdra would be extended to Kala Shah Kaku, adding all these projects were meant for the public benefits.

The prime minister said that he had directed for completion of the work in three months. He also criticized former chief justice of Pakistan Justice Saqib Nisar for staying different projects in the province including the issue of 56 companies. He said in these proceedings, not a single penny of corruption was proved.

The Orange Line train was a gift of China for the people of Lahore, he said, adding after lengthy proceedings of 11 months over a case moved by PTI, the high court gave a clean chit. But the PTI people then took the issue to the Supreme Court, where the former chief justice delayed the decision for months, with clear intentions to cause harm to PML-N and public uplift schemes.

Shehbaz also accused former justice Saqib Nisar of causing loss to PKLI and questioned what he was doing in the constituency of Shaikh Rashid.

Speaking on the occasion, Minister for Federal Education and Professional Training Rana Tanveer Hussain said that the project was being completed which had been pending for construction for long.

During the last PTI government’s tenure, such like development schemes were halted causing irreparable loss to the country.

The construction of the project was approved and initiated by the PML-N government during 2017 and inaugurated by former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, he added.

Earlier, the prime minister was briefed by the relevant authorities over the construction work. The prime minister directed the authorities to expedite the work and complete it in three months timeframe.