MULTAN: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Tuesday said the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz was making the real “New Pakistan” by undertaking mega development projects to serve the masses.
Addressing a gathering after inaugurating the Rs 28 billion, 18km-long Metro bus project for Multan, the third city in Punjab to get a public transport network, Nawaz said he believed in delivering real projects for the people and did not believe in selling half-baked ideas, for petty political gains.
He said the gathering today was not for any sit-in, to disrupt any development project, block roads or level baseless allegations, but was here to unveil a development project for the masses.
He said those who claimed of building a new Pakistan should come to Multan to see in reality the new Pakistan. He said the city would soon be linked to the modern motorway network of the country that would help further boost the national economy.
The PM said a new Expressway would also link it to Faisalabad and onwards to Islamabad in almost half the time.
He said another six-lane Multan-Sukkur link would connect the city to Karachi soon.
He said a network of roads was now connecting all remote areas of Balochistan and would make travel safe, easy and cheap. He said all provinces would be connected through new road links.
He said only those who have no idea about progress and development of the country was distracting the nation daily through baseless, unfounded accusations.
He said the religion also forbids levelling of accusations against others, particularly on issues on which they do not adhere themselves. He said the days were not far when the people would find the reality of such people.
He said by the end of this year 10,000MW power would be added to the national grid, and said it was unprecedented progress only in a short span of three years of the PML-N government. He said Pakistan has never produced more than 15,000MW in the past.
He said the government has spent Rs 110 billion for acquisition of land for the Diamer Bhasha dam alone and said once completed it would generate 4500MWs and said soon the days of power outages would be over. He said the tariff for power would also be lowered to pass on the benefits to the people.
The PM said soon the Prime Minister’s National Health Insurance Scheme would be launched for Multan to help the poorest of the poor pay for expensive medical treatment on government expense.
He said the poor families had to sell away all their possessions to pay for medical treatment in the past, but now no more, as the government would pay for it.
The PM congratulated Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif and his team for completing the project in 18 months and termed it a highly laudable step. He hoped rest of the project would be completed at the earliest.
Nawaz said the Metro transport system was the best possible service for the people of Multan. He said there was a suggestion for doubling the fare in Multan from Rs 20, however he quashed it and said the government would subsidize the travel.
He said the government would incur a cost of billions to benefit the masses, but it was nothing when compared to the ease of transportation for the masses.
Shahbaz said the project was part of the PM’s vision in which he believes that roads and communication networks were the key to success.
He said it would help in spreading the pace of progress to every nook and corner of the country, save time and enhance economic activity. Shahbaz Sharif said even the critics of the Lahore-Islamabad motorway now acknowledged its benefits.
He said Rs 4.5 billion were spent on the acquisition of land for the project out of Rs 28 billion cost of the project.
He said the PM has to his credit a string of development projects spanning across the country that were aimed at generating electricity, storing water, building roads and infrastructure.
