No false pledges: PM Shehbaz Sharif

BISHAM: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif Saturday said he would not make false pledges with people, would never tell lies, but would work hard for the development of the country till his last breath.

"I will spare no effort to solve the problems being faced by the poor,” he said while addressing a public gathering here. He said the government would have to work hard to make the country economically stable. "We have to break the begging-bowl," he vowed. For how long the country would continue with a begging-bowl in its hands, he wondered.

The PM said that Pakistan could not become a prosperous country if only Punjab progressed. He said his government would carry out uniform development of all the provinces of the country with the help of government allies. He said that he visited all places in the country after assuming the charge of his office three weeks ago. He added that Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa was a beautiful province of Pakistan and its people were very brave, who rendered matchless sacrifices for the motherland.

The PM said that he would spare no effort for uplift and development of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. "The PTI (Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf) has been in power in KP for the last eight years. How many hospitals the provincial government has established here? When I was the chief minister Punjab, I provided free healthcare services to people," he recalled.

The prime minister said that the poor were running from pillar to post to seek medical treatment, while the rich visited the United States and European countries for treatment. He said the country saw an unprecedented price-hike in the last four years. He said the PTI government took Rs24,000 billion loan, destroying economy of the country, but it did not initiate any development project. The performance of the Imran government remained zero during his four-year government and "he placed plaques on the uplift projects, launched by the Nawaz Sharif government," he added.

The prime minister said that corruption running into billions of rupees was committed in the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project in Peshawar. He said that the poor could not purchase flour and sugar due to high prices but his government provided cheap flour and sugar to people in Ramazan at the Utility Stores.

He said the Punjab government would lower the prices of flour by using its own resources, adding that he would ask the KP government to follow suit. "I know the method to bring down the prices of flour at the shops if the KP government is unable to do so," he said.

Shehbaz said that he believed in uniform progress of all parts of the country. He alleged that the PTI government caused immense damage to the economy with its wrong policies. He said the government would do justice to all and provide free-of-charge treatment facilities to all Pakistanis across the country.

In the last four years, he said tall claims were made and lies were told to the nation continuously. The country saw rampant corruption, incompetence, loadshedding, price-hike and unemployment. The PM said progress could not be made through making hue and cry, sleeping for day and night or through magic but only hard work. He said the begging-bowl could be broken through sheer hard work. He said the Nawaz Sharif government had generated enough electricity, but the PTI rulers did not import oil to run the power plants, which led to the energy crisis in the country.

Shehbaz Sharif said that the PTI government had left behind an empty exchequer; however, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Saudi Arabia had pledged to provide financial assistance to Pakistan to help revive its economy, he added.

The prime minister said that the coalition government would spare no effort and work hard for development of the country. He added that there would be the same price for flour in Punjab and KP. "I request the KP chief minister to maintain the same price of flour," he said.

"I will sell [even] my clothes to reduce the flour price and provide relief to the people of KP,” he said in his typical emotional style. He also promised that Punjab would provide funds for cheap flour in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.

Shehbaz said the one who ruled the country for almost four years did not talk about his performance at the public gatherings he was holding these days. “He has nothing to tell the nation,” he remarked, adding that the price of sugar increased from Rs52 to Rs100 per kilogram in the PTI government. He said Imran Khan deceived the nation for four years. The Nawaz Sharif government generated thousands of megawatts electricity, but the PTI rulers subjected the nation to prolonged power cuts. "I will stay awake to work hard so that the people can take rest and sleep," he pledged.

He announced the establishment of a grid station in Puran area of Shangla district within three months, a medical college and a grant of Rs2 billion for improving the road infrastructure and providing potable water to the local population.

Meanwhile, a group of people chanted slogans against the prime minister on his arrival at the Bisham bazaar.

PMLN Provincial President and PM's Adviser Engineer Amir Muqam, Dr Abdullah MNA, Rashad Khan, Fazalullah, PMLN leaders and Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Murtaza Javed Abbasi also spoke. They said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, the country would achieve rapid progress and prosperity, adding the PMLN would eliminate the PTI from the province in the next general elections on the basis of its performance. They said that the journey of progress initiated by former prime minister Nawaz Sharif would be resumed.

Murtaza Abbasi thanked the prime minister for ridding the nation of the incompetent government of PTI and expressed the hope that the PML-N government would alleviate the deprivation of people of the province caused by the PTI government.

Amir Muqam said that the prime minister was working relentlessly without considering his health. The previous government of PTI had not given anything to the nation except falsehood, lies and accusations during its four-year rule, he said, adding within days, Shehbaz Sharif had resumed the stalled metro bus service in Islamabad, showing commitment and devotion.