People’s mandate dragged to court, says PM Abbasi

Premier inaugurates Jalalpur Pirwala-Uch Sharif section of National Highway, says ruling party will win 2018 elections

MULTAN: MULTAN. Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi has said that the people of Pakistan have rejected the court’s decision against the supreme leader of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) who still rules the hearts of millions.

“The nation does not accept any other person as the true country’s true leader except Nawaz Sharif. However, the sanctity of vote has been dragged to the court in an unprecedented manner,” said PM Abbasi on Saturday as he met PML-N workers and counselors in Bahawalpur.

He said the process of accountability should not be limited to only person. “The accountability process should be for all,” he added.

He said Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan called for accountability of others but in reality he had failed to run the affairs of his Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government in a transparent manner.

“The nation will surely defeat the PTI and the PPP in the upcoming general elections. The PML-N is set to sweep the next polls,” he expressed confidence.

The premier said the culture of disrespect for politicians would lead the country towards political instability, halting the process of development.

He claimed the PML-N was the only party that focused on the development of southern Punjab that remained neglected during the governments of former military ruler Pervez Musharraf and the PPP.

“The people will have to make a choice between the politics of lies and truth in the next general elections,” he added.



New provinces

New provinces should be created only through a political consensus as no single party could bring about a constitutional amendment, nor it should do, said the PM while addressing a public gathering.

Abbasi inaugurated the 45-kilometer section of National Highway-5 linking Jalapur Pirwala with Uch Sharif areas of South Punjab.

He said all political parties should incorporate the demand of new provinces in their manifestos and hold dialogue after the general elections to develop consensus on the matter.

"The same demand exists in K-P, Sindh and Balochistan. People also talk of South Punjab, Hazara and South K-P. All parties should sit together to reach a consensus as no single party can decide it alone," he remarked.

Referring to some dissidents of his party who recently announced their resignations in a press conference and called for a South Punjab province, the premier said they had been parliamentarians of the PML-N for the last five years and should have raised the issue earlier.

“Holding press conferences two months before the elections will not help resolve public issues. The public representation is not made through press conferences but by public service,” he remarked.

He said it was only the PML-N that had got a resolution passed for South Punjab and Bahwalpur provinces.



The prime minister, who earlier unveiled the plaque of the project, said the Seraiki people always showed loyalty to the PML-N and elected its representatives who served them as well as the country.

He hoped that the PML-N would stand victorious in the next polls, saying the party had executed record development projects, having no comparison with the performance of all governments during the last 65 years.

He said the PML-N's performance always haunted its opponents and the very characteristic would take it to lead the next elections.

The premier said the credit of accomplishing all half-complete projects of its predecessors also went to the current PML-N government, be it Lowari Tunnel, Kachi Canal, Neelum Jhelum or the one inaugurated on the day.

The PM told the gathering that the project had cost Rs5 billion. He said his party always ensured the completion of development projects.

“Since its inception, only 20,000 megawatts of power were produced in the country, but the incumbent government executed power projects to inject another 10,400 megawatt to national grid,” he added.

The prime minister, who was accompanied by Minister for Education and Professional Training Engineer Balighur Rehman and local parliamentarians, also questioned what he described as the inertia of previous governments for failing to expand motorways network despite having resources.

“In fact, they had no intention to serve the masses and were there only wanted to loot the national kitty,” he remarked.

He said the PML-N government was about to complete its term, “proving all the prophecies of the so-called political leaders wrong”.

He said the people did not like the politics of falsity. In July election, he added, the people would once again choose between the politics of falsehood and truth, and the politics of abuse and respect.

He said the construction of 1700-kilometer network of motorways from Karachi to Peshawar would change the fate of the country. As demanded by the local leadership, he also announced the construction of motorway interchanges for Bahawalpur and Ahmedpur Sharqia.

Regarding the elevation of Ahmedpur Sharqia status from city to district, the PM said the legal hitches and the election commission's decision barred him from announcing the same. But he vowed that the Punjab chief minister would fulfil the demand.

The prime minister said despite all odds including the legal proceedings, the government kept its development course. However, he reiterated that political decisions should be made at polling stations, saying that history would not respect certain verdicts, even after being implemented upon.