Coup attempt: Shahbaz says citizens’ unity can thwart all plots

Chief minister expresses solidarity with Turkish government

LAHORE: Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif on Saturday said that the attempted coup d’état in Turkey was a conspiracy against progress and prosperity of the Turkish people. “Turks have foiled this attempt through their unity and patriotism,” he said.

In a statement, the chief minister expressed solidarity with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Prime Minister Bin Ali Yildirim and the people of Turkey.

“The failure of the coup is proof that the Turks value democracy and love their president,” he said. “The people of Turkey have acted to prove their commitment to democratic ideals.”

“They way citizens came out to protect democracy shows their unwavering faith in the democratic system and the leadership of their president,” he said.

Sharif said that government and people of Pakistan supported the people of Turkey in their efforts to restore democracy.

Sources in the chief minister’s secretariat said Sharif would visit Turkey in a few days. The chief minister’s office did not confirm this.

MIGA delegation meets CM

A delegation led by Keiko Honda, the chief executive officer of Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA) of the World Bank group met Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif and expressed interest in investment in the healthcare system and industrial parks in the province. She said the provincial government had taken steps to strengthen health, education, industries and other sectors.

She said the MIGA would extend support to the provincial government to improve investment in these sectors. Speaking on the occasion, the chief minister said Pakistan’s economy had been strengthened due to the policies pursued by the government. “The foreign exchange reserves have never been this good,” he said.

Sharif said the government had evolved a comprehensive plan to cope with the energy crisis.

“Thousands of megawatts will be added to the national grid by the end of next year,” he said.

“We expect performance of the agriculture and industrial sectors to improve once we have overcome the energy shortfall,” he said.

The chief minister said the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor project would be completed by the beginning of next year.

He said the MIGA should consider setting up an institution to finance industrial development.

CM meets federal minister

Federal Minister Abdul Qadir Baloch met Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday. Speaking on the occasion, the chief minister said the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz had put the country on the road to progress.

“It is unfortunate that some people are once again trying to create hurdles in the process of national development,” he said.

He said the criticism of public welfare projects launched by the government was baseless.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 17^th, 2016.