Unmoved by sit-ins: PM not to resign on ‘wishes of 5,000 people’

Nawaz says removing protesters from Red Zone is not a big deal.

ATTOCK:

“How can a prime minister elected by 180 million people step down on the wishes of just 5,000 people,” asked Nawaz Sharif on Wednesday while responding to the rising crescendo of calls for his resignation from Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).

“The entire parliament is on one side and a single party stands alone on the other [demanding resignation],” the premier said while addressing the inauguration ceremony of Soghri-1 well of the Oil and Gas Development Company Limited (OGDCL) in Jand tehsil of Attock district.

In a veiled threat to the participants of PTI sit-in in the federal capital, he said: “There is no difficulty in removing the protesters [from the Red Zone], but the government is exercising restraint and demonstrating patience.”

Commenting on PTI’s allegations of election rigging, the prime minister said that since the chief election commissioner was appointed with a consensus, the election results should be accepted. He added that it was unfair to blame the PML-N for the ‘so-called rigging’ because the interim government didn’t belong to his party.

The PML-N, Nawaz Sharif said, had reservations about the 2008 elections but yet the party accepted the results for the sake of continuation of democracy in the country.

“It is just one party that is halting the progress of this nation and bringing serious economic setbacks,” he said, referring to the PTI. He urged the ‘parties advancing politics of sit-ins’ not to hinder the country’s development plan.

He referred to the postponed visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping, saying, “The nation knows why the visit was delayed.” The postponement of the Chinese leader’s visit has delayed the signing of several power projects which were aimed at curtailing the chronic energy crisis in the country, he added.

He, however, said that it was his government’s priority to end power outages once and for all. “With abundant electricity, the issues of poverty and unemployment can be effectively  addressed and smooth running of industries can be ensured,” he added. He vowed to overcome the debilitating energy crisis within three to four years.

Nawaz expressed satisfaction over the exploration of gas and oil in Sagri-1 well by OGDCL, saying that it would give another boost to national economy. He said that the import of oil and gas ate up the major chunk of the country’s foreign exchange which was why the government wanted to undertake more and more exploration projects.

Federal Minister for Petroleum and Natural Resources Shahid Khaqan Abbasi said that Sagri-1 well would produce 17.5 million cubic feet of gas and 220 barrel of oil daily. “The gas well will add Rs15 billion to the monthly revenue and will reduce the imports up to $117 million,” he added.

Separately, the prime minister witnessed the signing of $200 million Hassanabdal-Burhan-Havelian Expressway (E-35) project at the PM House. The project, which is a part of the National Trade Corridor, will connect M-1 Motorway at Hassanabdal with Havelian and will further extend it to Abbottabad and Mansehra.

The loan agreement was signed by the secretary, Economic Affairs Division, while the project agreement was signed by the chairman, National Highway Authority. From the Asian Development Bank, the two agreements were signed by its country director in Pakistan Werner Liepach.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 18^th, 2014.