Punjab CM thrashes opponents, calls out inefficiencies

He also inaugurated various developmental projects

LAHORE: Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif visited Dera Ghazi Khan on Saturday and inaugurated public welfare and development projects worth billions of rupees while also participating in the groundbreaking of several others.

Addressing a large public gathering, Shehbaz said the PML-N government had completed projects worth Rs47 billion in Dera Ghazi Khan during the last nine and a half years, while during the last four and half years investments of Rs27 billion had been made on the development and welfare of the people.

He also announced a cadet college in Fort Minro and THQ Choti Zareen. Announcing merit admissions for children from poor families, he said a committee for the purpose had already been constituted.

“The huge number of people gathered here proves that opponents of the PML-N will be washed away in the forthcoming general elections and we will again form governments in all parts of the country, including Punjab,” said the new PML-N president while highlighting that South Punjab has for long been ignored.

He added that the people of Pakistan would prove who served them and who wasted their time and vote.

“Khadam-e-Punjab is standing in front of you with his companions, and this Khadam was also with you in the 2010 floods and in case of any calamity,” added the CM while guaranteeing that he would develop the southern region at any cost.

Shehbaz also said his government had set up modern hospitals and schools like Daanish in DG Khan and Rajanpur where children got the same quality of education as in premium institutes like Aitcheson College. He said the children here “not only get education but are also accommodated and provided food”.

While addressing the criticism of several opposition parties, the he said they panned the construction of roads, metros and bridges, saying that the government did not focus on building hospitals and schools, but they must visit DG Khan and see the difference the PML-N projects had brought to the area, including schools and hospitals.

Moving his attention to the changing political relationships, Shehbaz highlighted that Imran Khan and Asif Zardari, enemies once, had now joined hands but the people knew the true motive behind their alliance.

“Niazi tells Zardari ‘I will not blame you even if you did nothing in Sindh but destroyed cities’, and on the other hand Zardari reciprocates the same for Niazi in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa,” said Shehbaz.

“Our opponents have not done development of even a single penny in their provinces and have only focused on promoting a culture of allegations and lies in politics, and people will respond them in the elections being held after three months,” he said.

The CM stated that one of them had turned Karachi into a heap of garbage and other had uprooted Peshawar for metro. He said the PML-N government had set up metros in four cities and “if we are given a chance to serve the people again, every city will be developed like Lahore and the country will become greater”.

He also said that the PTI chief spoke lies and leveled several allegations of kickbacks in the Multan Metro project. He said Imran had requested the Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) to take notice of the project but “I request the CJP myself to begin investigations and if proven guilty, I will quit politics… but if Imran is proven wrong, the people will decide his punishment”.

“[Imran Khan] Niazi sahib you are a liar and constantly speak lies, and your lies of one billion trees in K-P has proved false and you speak one billion lies and speak repeatedly,” said Shehbaz while reprimanding his political rival.

The CM inaugurated the restoration and expansion of a road from Choti Zareen to Choti Bala. The road, completed at the cost of Rs360 million, would facilitate people in commuting around the area.

Shehbaz also inaugurated the Kot Chatha bypass project on Indus Highway constructed at a cost of Rs450 million, the construction and restoration of road from Basti Milana to Haidri Chowk, and the restoration and construction of road from Mehboob Mor to Aalim Khan on Indus Highway. The construction of these roads completed under the Khadam-e-Punjab Rural Roads Programme is Rs300 million.

The chief minister inaugurated the modern trauma centre of 20 beds at Taunsa THQ which has been constructed at a cost of Rs100 million. He also inaugurated the Govt Girls High School, Head Zero, Choti Zareen. He laid the foundation stone of the Child Protection Institute in Dera Ghazi Khan and the project will be completed at a cost of Rs150 million.

Meanwhile, federal minister Awais Ahmed Leghari also addressed the public gathering while members of parliament Sardari Jaffar Leghari, Shehnaz Saleem Malik, Sardari Jamal Khan Leghari, Mumtaz Ahmed Qaisrani, Aleem Shah and other PML-N leaders were present in the public gathering.