Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi Saturday said that new provinces should be created only through political consensus as no single party could bring about a constitutional amendment nor it should do.
Addressing a public gathering after inaugurating the 45-kilometre-long section of National Highway-5 linking Jalapur Pirwala with Uch Sharif areas of southern Punjab, the prime minister said all political parties should incorporate the demand of new provinces in their manifestos and hold dialogue after general elections to evolve consensus on the subject. “The same demand exists in KP, Sindh and Balochistan. People also talk of South Punjab. People also talk of Hazara and South KP. All political parties should join their heads as no single party can decide on it,” he remarked.
Referring to some parliamentarians of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) who had recently announced their resignations calling for creation of South Punjab province, the prime minister said they had been the part of the PML-N government for last five years and they should have raised the issue there. Holding press conferences two months before the election will not help resolve public issues, he said, and added that public representation is not made through press conferences but by public service.
“Why is it that these lawmakers remained in PML-N for five years and are only leaving two months before elections?” “The politics of horse trading has ended,” he maintained. Stating that the nation does not like those who switch loyalties, PM Abbasi said, “You will learn what the nation thinks of you during the July elections.”
The prime minister recalled that it was only the PML-N that had got passed resolution for South Punjab and Bahwalpur provinces. He said despite all odds including the legal proceedings, the government kept up its development course. However, he reiterated that the political decisions should be made at polling stations as history would not respect certain verdicts even after having been implemented. He said earlier Nawaz Sharif was disqualified for not getting salary from his son’s firm but on Friday he had been disqualified for lifetime. “We accept this decision too. But keep in mind, the history will tell you something else,” he remarked.
Stating that Pakistan will continue to be run on democratic principles, the prime minister said, “Results of general elections 2018 in July will be in favour of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif.”
Taking a hit at former presidents General (r) Pervez Musharraf and Asif Ali Zardari, the prime minister said, “Only those governments face hurdles who work for the people. Musharraf faced no problems and neither did Zardari because they did nothing for people.”
Further speaking about the development projects undertaken by the ruling PML-N, Abbasi said, “Look at what Imran Khan has done in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa or Zardari in Sindh. The differences are clear and visible in the work done in Punjab and other provinces. It is not that other political parties do not have the power to work. They have their governments in Sindh and KP but they are not doing anything.”
The prime minister also questioned 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 and in July election, they would once again chose between the politics of false and truth and politics of abuses and respect.
He questioned as why the CPEC could not be signed during previous governments and mentioned the construction of 1700-kilometer long network of motorways from Karachi to Peshawar what he believed would change the fate of the country.
The prime minister also announced the construction of motorway interchanges for Bahawalpur and Ahmedpur Sharqia.
Published in Daily Times, April 15th 2018.
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