Shahbaz upholds record of mega projects

ISLAMABAD
Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif with the full support of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has done it, upholding his record of completing mega projects at super speed, making impossible possible.
Starting gigantic projects in which politicians specialize is one thing, but concluding them in the given time is another, which has been exceedingly difficult in our dismal official environment. Shahbaz Sharif has proved that he has the time, energy and vigour to ensure that he can complete the major projects at a fast pace. Nobody matches him on this count.
Undoubtedly, the metro bus service is a landmark gift to the commuters of Islamabad and Rawalpindi, who belong to every nook and corner of Pakistan. So, it is a national service and asset. Britain always takes pride in the London tube. An apt comment was made on the social media: Hypocrites are opposing the metro bus in Pakistan but appreciate the tub services of European countries during their visits to them.
In Pakistan, petty politics get credence and attempts are made to embroil even mega projects of national importance in senseless controversies. Same happened with the metro bus, but Shahbaz Sharif’s tireless efforts nailed all haters of the service.
The project experienced delay of a few months, which was primarily caused by the sit-ins of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT). They made the federal capital hostage for a long time, blocked development activities and business. It is difficult to have a track of the visits that the chief minister paid to Islamabad and Rawalpindi to ensure quick completion of the metro bus project. Similarly, it is not possible to compute the days he gave to it. The epic project may serve as a model, guide and leader for the provincial counterparts of Shahbaz Sharif if they really are interested in creating a name as the chief ministers having done something marvellous for their people. Unfortunately, a similar project was conceived for Peshawar by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government more than a year ago but it is still in papers and there are no signs that physical work will start on it in near future.
When during his previous stint as Prime Minister, Nawaz Sharif had decided and inaugurated the construction of the first-ever motorway from Lahore to Rawalpindi, critics mushroomed having different objectives to achieve. Some genuinely opposed it while others for sake of politics and out of jealousy as they could not do any such thing when they were in power.
This lot pressed into service all of its sources and resources to rock the project, but miserably failed as Nawaz Sharif went ahead determinedly to carry out the project. Today, some of them have made ‘confessions’ that they had wrongly opposed the motorway. However, all of its haters continue to enjoy excellent travel on it.
Looking at the motorway that has been expanded to Peshawar and is being further taken to Multan, Sukkur, Hyderabad and Karachi nearly two decades later, it leaves no doubt in mind that the highway has offered a tremendous facility not only to the motorists but also for fast transportation of goods.
Ironically, the metro bus project was opposed by a class that doesn’t use public transport but possesses fleets of high-powered jeeps and cars and even jets. Speaking for the poor is their pastime.
Money has never been a problem for this category while it matters a lot for the middle and poor classes, which always face the problem of making both ends meet honourably.