Hazara motorway ground breaking: Sit-ins and roadblocks are impeding progress, says PM
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Saturday heaped scorn at the sit-ins staged by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), calling them roadblocks in the way of progress and prosperity and inimical to the interests of the country.
Addressing a large gathering at the foundation stone-laying ceremony of the 60km long Hazara motorway project, PM Nawaz said the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) was not only making a new Pakistan but also a new Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa in the true sense and the launch of mega developmental projects was proof of it. The project costing Rs33 billion will link Bhurhan to Havelian.
“We will put an end to unemployment, underdevelopment, overcome energy crisis once and for all, lay a network of motorway across the country and ensure prosperity,” he said.
He pointed out that a railway track would be constructed from Islamabad to Muzaffarabad, link the Hazara motorway to Gilgit-Baltistan and Islamabad through tunnels that would usher in a new era of real development in the country especially in Hazara division.
Nawaz also stated that when he came to Havelian during the election campaign he promised to allocate a chunk of development funds for Hazara which he fulfilled by laying the foundation stone of Hazara motorway project. He announced the early reconstruction of 1,000 schools in the earthquake-hit districts as well as provision of Sui gas to areas still deprived of it in Hazara.
PM Nawaz also announced a cut of Rs9.66 per litre in super petrol price, adding that the proper notification would be issued today (Sunday).
Without naming the PTI, the prime minister said that what the sit-ins could bring for the people of Pakistan is “only regression, joblessness and deprivation”.
He said that his government would continue its efforts for bringing prosperity for the people of Pakistan without caring for sit-ins because he believes the nation would itself punish them during the election in 2018.
Lambasting the PTI for what he called abusive language, he said that parents must ask their children what they were learning from these dharnas.
Addressing the PTI chief without actually naming him, PM Nawaz said: “Don’t teach children such type of language during sit-ins and do the politics of decency and morality.”
On this occasion K-P Governor Sardar Mehtab Ahmed Khan, Gilgit-Baltistan governor and chief minister, Federal Minister Sardar Muhammad Yousuf, National Assembly Deputy Speaker Murtaza Javed Abbasi, Capt. Safdar, Pir Sabir Shah and PML-N’s lawmakers were also present.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 30th, 2014.
COMMENTS (13)
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What happened to the expressway being built in Hazara?
Will never be built in the next 50 years.
Will you please stop building motorways and concentrate on drought stricken areas, hospitals, education? I wonder if you even know or care for the number of babies that died in a hospital in the Punjab because of a lack of care? Or the number of children dying because of drought? And you are busy inaugurating new motorways? I wonder if you are wearing that expensive watch of yours while you ignore all these very serious issues.
The 'progress' in KPK has only started after the PTI put pressure on Nawaz - or at least made public the lack of development in KPK. If PTI was not there, I doubt any attention would have gone to KPK. And as for the project itself, I wonder who's cement company won the 'public tender' for this project? In fact I wonder who's companies put in for tenders to be legitimately involved? It's a case of Nawaz saying 'well if I must build this road (& fool the blind into thinking I have their well being at heart), I may as well ensure my family profits out of it'. This is just so laughable. In any other true democracy, such conduct would have ensured these corrupt families would have been jailed or stripped of their illegal takings, but in Islamic Pakistan, these people are our leaders and are supported by the blind fools that sadly have no idea what it's like to live in a country with true values for justice, democracy and the rights of the common man.
Last motorway project brought millions of dollars to Nawaz family.This will beat all previous kickbacks.
Long Live Nawaz Sharif !
These sit-ins started just four months ago, where was the 'progress' an year before that?.
Lets see if this project materializes or will turn out to be another nail in the coffin of PMLN
What is the "Kamal" that the PM did to get the world oil prices reduced. We should thank the international community for dropping the oil prices. The PM likes to take credit for what he has not done. Oh, yes, He can take credit for not pocketing this reduction in Oil prices.
i think that the development and progress being shown by Nawaz Sharif's team is making Imran Khan and PTI even more desperate and angry. PTI must now see that there is a reason why the majority voted for Nawaz Sharif. they want to see economic development, infrastructure projects and and end to the energy crisis. Nawaz Sharif is delivering on all counts despite the best effort of Imran Khan to cause instability and discourage investment.
Death of wild life ! Margala hills are declared National Park and expansion of this publicity project to Islamabad will be blunder. Instead why not improve the existing road that connects this area to GT Road, specially when the airport is being built there. Secondly Mariam's tweet yesterday was a reply to his father's critism on parents of PTI supporters. Sould youth learn to respect thieves ?
Go ahead Nawaz Sharif nobody can defeat you from building modern prosperous Pakistan. Your economic vision has badly exposed real enemies of Pakistan who are none other than hate preachers ugly insiders.
There's a difference between the vision of a thaykedaar and a leader.While a leader invests in the human capital,health,education and progress,A thaykedaar,with all the good that he wants to do,cannot go beyond building bridges and motorways because that is the limit of his vision beyond which he cannot see. When the PM of Pakistan is in a development mode,he will build you another motorway.Anyone remember the last time Nawaz Sharif made a University of national or global repute?