PM asks rivals to ‘wait until 2018 or even beyond’

Nawaz says he will continue to serve people after judicial inquiry clears him

QUETTA:

Taking a jibe at his political arch nemesis who is calling for him to step down in the wake of the Panama leaks, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif asked his foes to “wait until 2018 or even beyond because the people of Pakistan support progress and not anarchy”.

The premier’s taunt came a day after Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan said ‘Mian Sahib’ would not only have to quit but go to prison if proven guilty in the Panama Papers inquiry.



“I’ve ordered a judicial inquiry to clear the matter once and for all. I’ll continue to serve the masses after the inquiry clears me of all baseless charges,” he said while speaking at the launch of the National Health Programme in Quetta on Monday.

Without naming the PTI, he criticised the politics of agitation.  “Our government is committed to changing the political culture of Pakistan – from one of confrontation to that of serving the masses,” he said.

Revelations in the Panama Papers that the Sharif family has offshore holdings has whipped up a political storm in the country. And opposition parties have apparently teamed up to press the Nawaz administration to conduct a judicial inquiry into the matter.

Premier Nawaz said his administration was working towards a transparent and corruption-free system in the country. “Not a penny of corruption has ever been established against our government, neither in the present nor in the previous two tenures,” he claimed.

He particularly appreciated Balochistan Chief Minister Sanaullah Zehri who, in his speech, warned political opponents of the PML-N of a “befitting reply, if they do not desist from hatching conspiracies”.

The prime minister endorsed the views of Zehri who said his political opponents need to wait patiently until 2018 or even beyond because the people of Pakistan supported progress and development undertaken by the PML-N government.

The National Health Programme would cover four districts catering to the needs of 178,000 people in Loralai, Quetta, Lasbella and Kech districts. In the first phase, 76,000 people in Quetta would benefit from the insurance scheme.

The prime minister, who handed out health cards among the deserving, said his government would continue to serve the masses regardless of efforts of his opponents to create instability in the country.



He said his administration has brought about a change in the country’s political culture where it was going all-out to help the needy people. “However, all these dreams cannot materialise as progress can only be achieved when there is economic and political stability and no law and order situation,” he said.

He regretted that amidst the ‘politics of sit-ins and protests’ the country could not move forward as investors avoid investing and industries do not operate at full capacity.

Premier Nawaz said his administration was working on plans to rein in the chronic energy crisis by investing heavily in projects to generate electricity and natural gas. “Load-shedding has declined significantly, and by 2018 it will be a thing of the past.”

Speaking about the multibillion-dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), he said it would open avenues of economic activity, generate employment and help usher in an era of prosperity and development in the country. He mentioned the fast-paced construction at Gwadar and said several new road links would connect far off places of the province with the rest of the country.

He said work on motorways was also going ahead at a fast pace and soon Karachi would be linked with Peshawar. He regretted that this should have been done long time ago, however his government was working with vigour and zeal to cover the gap.

The prime minister said peace was being restored in Karachi while Operation Zarb-e-Azb was wiping out terrorists from the country.      He mentioned progress in other areas of economy, including health, education, agriculture and industrial sectors and said the pace of development and progress would continue unabated.

Earlier the prime minister was briefed on the security situation in Balochistan in a meeting held at the Governor House Quetta. Chief Secretary Saifullah Chattha gave the briefing in which he said Balochistan was confronted with multiple challenges, including terrorism, sectarianism, targeted killings and kidnapping for ransom. Security of CPEC, Gwadar and implementation of the National Action Plan are amongst other challenges, he added.

The meeting was told that the unwavering political will and effective coordination between intelligence and law enforcement agencies have resulted in elimination of high-profile terrorists.



Incidents of bomb blasts have dropped from 483 in 2013 to 27 in 2016, while rocket attacks have come down from 372 to only five during the same period. Similarly, there had been 90 highway robberies in 2013 which have fallen to only nine in 2016 while incidents of kidnapping for ransom dropped from 49 to 8 for the same period.

Governor Muhammad Khan Achakzai, Chief Minister Sardar Sanaullah Zehri, SAFRON Minister Lt Gen (retd) Abdul Qadir Baloch, Minister of State for Health Services Saira Afzal Tarar, National Security Adviser Lt Gen (retd) Nasser Khan Janjua, and members of the provincial cabinet attended the meeting.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, May 3^rd, 2016.