Time to put differences aside, says chief minister

Stresses practice of ‘individualism’ in politics has damaged the country

LAHORE: There is a need to adopt the trait of ‘collectivism’ for the betterment of Pakistan as the practice of ‘individualism’ in politics has damaged the country, said Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif.



In a statement issued to the media on Tuesday, he said that everyone would have to work together for the well-being of the public and prosperity of the country. “Pakistan is the motherland for all of us and we should work collectively to make it a better place to live.”

The chief minister said that it was not the time to indulge in any disunity; but rather remain united. “It is unwise to politicise development projects of national importance as all these projects were meant for public benefit. Projects should move forward so that people benefit from such initiatives.

Shehbaz said the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz government had always promoted tolerance, civility and national unity because Pakistan could be become a harbinger of peace. The CM said the goal of development and prosperity can be achieved by promoting tolerance among the people.



He claimed that PML-N promoted a corruption-free culture in the country and additional resources, saved through the policy of austerity, were being spent on various public welfare projects. “The provision of relief to the people and bringing improvement in the lives of low-income families is our mission and all resources were being utilised for the completion of this task,” he added.

The chief minister said the PML-N government was free from the menace of corruption and even a single penny of embezzlement could not be found in development projects worth billions of dollars. “Even our opponents cannot point a finger at us.”

Shehbaz said that public welfare-oriented projects were under way and the government had completed different schemes in a record period of time during the last four years. The government had also promoted the culture of transparency in development projects, he added.



The chief minister claimed that the people were given relief due to the completion of different mega projects and the public was reaping the fruits of speedy development. He said that Pakistan has made tremendous progress in different fields during the last four years because of good economic policies. “The country is moving towards new heights of development.”

“In the present circumstance, people should only work for the country. They should set aside personal interests and collectively work to make Pakistan a prosperous country,” he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 16^th, 2017.