GUJRANWALA/ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Saturday that on the basis of hard work and the launch of development projects, the next election results across the country would be pleasant ones for the PMLN.
Addressing the ground-breaking ceremony of a mass transport system in Gujranwala, he said: “The journey of progress and prosperity has only just commenced, and we will move along the path of development rapidly. In the next election, owing to this hard work, the PMLN will achieve historic results.” Shehbaz said that former premier Nawaz Sharif had initiated major development projects at a time when the country was engulfed in slogans and politicking, adding that the launch of these projects had “buried that style of politics”. The prime minister said the recent election results in Punjab reflected the public’s trust in PMLN leadership. “Over the next three years, the incumbent PMLN government has the mandate to serve the people,” he said, stressing that they should work tirelessly under the leadership of Nawaz Sharif.
Commenting on the mass transport system in Gujranwala, he said the project was a gift from the Punjab chief minister, which would transform the entire district, providing immense relief to commuters, including students, patients, labourers, lawyers and people from all walks of life. He said history would remember Nawaz Sharif’s achievements with golden words, including the country acquiring nuclear capability in 1998. Had that not happened, he opined, the situation in the recent conflict with India in May would have been very different.
In Punjab, he added, the journey of progress was moving at a rapid speed under the dynamic and young leadership of the Punjab chief minister, who was continuing the legacy of Nawaz Sharif. He lauded the Punjab government’s initiatives, such as the construction of a cancer hospital, launch of metro buses, Clean Punjab programme, pollution reduction, provision of houses for the homeless, assistance to flood-affected people, and the provision of missing facilities in schools. Shehbaz said all these works spoke for themselves and, like truth, could not be ignored even by political opponents.
Speaking at the ceremony, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz said development work across the province was moving at a high speed. She mentioned that a major Rs30 billion project was underway in Gujrat, where new sewerage lines were being installed and the construction of 120,000 houses was in progress. She announced that metro bus projects would soon begin in Gujranwala and Faisalabad to improve urban mobility. She stressed that Pakistan’s major development milestones, from the nuclear programme to motorways, had occurred during the tenures of Nawaz Sharif and Shehbaz Sharif.
She criticised those who governed during the past four years for predicting the country’s default, saying the reality today was very different. Maryam Nawaz also criticised the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government, saying that despite 12 years of rule, no significant development was visible. She said the former KP chief minister had remained busy with political confrontation, while the current one was frequently seen outside the Adiala jail. She said Shehbaz Sharif had created a historic legacy of public service and development in Punjab. Addressing the prime minister, she added: “Your daughter, entrusted with the responsibility of chief minister, has picked up the mantle from where you left off. The people have always appreciated your leadership and tireless hard work.”
Maryam said the people of Haripur had rejected the “politics of lies” on November 23 and voted for the PMLN because “lies have a shelf life”. She said Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s electorate had also turned to the PMLN after years of misgovernance and confrontation-based politics. Highlighting her government’s performance, she said Punjab’s economy had stabilised after recovering from the threat of default and that the province was witnessing large-scale development.
Separately, CM Maryam Nawaz ordered all commissioners and deputy commissioners to ensure a full ban on serving more than one dish at marriages, besides taking legal action against the illegal use of loudspeakers at Qawwali nights, weddings and other events not only in marriage halls but also in farmhouses and grounds. She also directed the authorities to remove the deputy commissioner from his post while expressing deep grief and anger over the death of a young child who fell into an open manhole in Lodhran.
Meanwhile, the federal government took a major decision regarding the May 9 riots, placing the names of 132 individuals on the Exit Control List (ECL). According to government sources, among PTI leadership, the names of Imran Khan, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Omar Ayub, Fawad Chaudhry, Shibli Faraz, Ali Amin Gandapur, Shehryar Afridi, Usman Dar, Shireen Mazari, Zartaj Gul, Musarrat Cheema, Kanwal Shauzab, Zain Qureshi, Major (retd) Tahir Sadiq, Raja Basharat, and Waseeq Qayyum Abbasi, among others, have been added to the ECL. Former federal minister Sheikh Rashid and his nephew Sheikh Rashid Shafiq have also been placed on the list.
According to sources, the Punjab Home Department had recommended including these names in the ECL. The decision was taken in light of the May 9 riots. The cabinet’s sub-committee on ECL had forwarded its recommendations for approval.
