PM Nawaz unveils the plaque at the ground breaking of Lahore Eastern Bypass. PHOTO: INP
ISLAMABAD/ LAHORE: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif taunted his foes on Friday as he inaugurated the 16.5-kilometre-long Lahore Eastern Bypass Project at Kala Shah Kaku with the pledge that his government would complete its term and also return to power after the 2018 polls.
The six-lane expressway, costing Rs28 billion, will connect with the Lahore Ring Road some 3.3 kilometres away from the Niazi interchange. The inauguration ceremony comes just a day before the PTI launches its flagship rally against corruption in the PML-N’s power hub.
Fresh from laying the groundwork for development schemes in Balochistan, the prime minister said a couple of so-called leaders had been predicting the fall of the present government and trying to launch movement against it.
Without naming Shaikh Rashid, Nawaz said, “A politician from Rawalpindi that you are aware of keeps saying that the government will leave in March, April, May, June, August, September, November and so on.
“He has been giving dates for the last three years and now one-and-half year is left (to the next elections). God willing, our government will complete its tenure. And the PML-N will contest the election in 2018 and will sweep to power again.”
“That politician from Rawalpindi says people want to see the leaders of two parties together. They have been trying to run a movement against our government, but people have given their verdict in Burewala and Jhelum (referring to the recent by-polls in which the ruling party have returned successful).”
The prime minister said his government’s agenda was progress. “Our government has a dream of progress and that dream is spread everywhere in the country. Balochistan has become a centre of attention for our government. Gwadar will soon become an excellent port.
“Balochistan will even surpass Karachi, Lahore and Peshawar in development soon. The results of our work in the last three years are now showing and Pakistan is heading on the road to progress,” the PM said.
Nawaz said his government will build 40 new hospitals with 10,000 beds across the country. He said load-shedding is slowly disappearing and will go down further next year. “In 2018, load-shedding will be eliminated from Pakistan,” he said.
Shared goals
Once again putting his weight behind the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has reiterated that the mega joint venture is a “new concept of diplomacy based on shared goals of prosperity for Pakistan and the region”.
The PM’s statement coincided with the departure of Indian Premier Narendra Modi on a crucial visit to Vietnam and China on Friday.
“The CPEC would not only serve as a game-changer for Pakistan, but a fate-changer for the entire region by helping it rid of economic deprivation and attain peace and prosperity.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 3rd, 2016.
COMMENTS
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ