PHOTO: AFP/FILE
Addressing the media on Tuesday, Shehbaz outlined his government’s ‘achievements’ and criticised the performance of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf.
He said the PML-N government had succeeded in putting the country on the road to progress despite Imran Khan’s “negative politics of unnecessary sit-ins and protests and baseless allegations”.
“The PML-N government, under the leadership of Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif, was successful in solving the problems facing the people, bringing a marked reduction in terrorism, and giving a boost to the economy,” he said.
He said the people were facing problems like energy shortage, terrorism, extremism and weak economy when the PML-N government came into power. A recent report by the UNDP had made it clear that “Punjab is far ahead of K-P and other provinces in education and health in every respect”, he claimed.
Shehbaz said the Punjab government installed 1,180 MW project in Bhikki whereas speedy work was being carried out on a 1,250 MW project in Haveli Bahadur Shah which will start generating 800 MW electricity in December,” he said.
He said the Punjab government had invested Rs150 billion in the two projects whereas the federal government had made an investment of Rs150 billion in the electricity plants of Haveli Bahadur Shah and Balloki which were working on gas. “This way, 5,000MW power has been generated at a cost of Rs300 billion,” he added.
The CM described the Punjab Educational Endowment Fund as yet another historic step by the Punjab government. “Stipends worth Rs70 billion from the educational fund are being provided to 3.5 lakh children for education,” he said, adding that thousands of youths were serving the country after becoming doctors and engineers.
He said that 16 Danish schools had been established in far-flung and backward areas of the province where around 10,000 children from poor families were getting education.
“Four lakh laptops were distributed among the students on merit. Under the Punjab Education Foundation, 20 lakh poor children were enrolled in the partner schools,” he said.
He said, “We feel ashamed when we send patients to India as they use the money being spent there for treatment against us. In order to cope with this situation, we have set up the Pakistan Kidney & Liver Transplant Institution in Lahore.”
With regard to Kalabagh dam, Shehbaz said it was a feasible project which would tremendously benefit the economy, “but nothing is more important than national unity and sometimes big sacrifices have to be made for the sake of national unity”.
He said that Reham Khan had interviewed him for PTV during the sit-in days before marrying Imran Khan and that was their first and last meeting. “Free and fair elections are a national need and a guarantee to take Pakistan forward,” he added.
The CM said that conspiracies would end if he was granted an opportunity to form government after the elections.
“Politicians, judiciary, generals, media and others should [work to] bring a soft revolution. All have to work jointly because if a soft revolution is made possible, a bloody revolution will be avoided,” he said.
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