MIANWALI: Prime Minister Imran Khan Saturday vowed to take the accountability process to its logical end, saying that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government is ready to talk to everyone, including the dissident elements in Balochistan and tribal areas, for peace, but not to those who looted the public money and laundered the public money abroad.
Imran Khan expressed these views while addressing a public gathering here in his ancestral city after performing the ground breaking of 23 development projects worth approximately Rs36 billion in health, education and road sectors for the uplift of District Mianwali.
The premier launched multiple projects under Rs6.6 billion PM Package-II and District Development Package.
He performed the groundbreaking ceremony of upgradation of the 38-kilometre Kalabagh-Shakardara road, which would cost Rs2.70 billion, and upgradation of District Headquarters Hospital with an estimated cost of Rs2bn.
The rehabilitation and upgradation of Balkasar-Mianwali road, at an estimated cost of Rs13.5bn, and Wooded Land at Namal Lake and Kundia Forest Park costing Rs120 million, were also among the new projects.
He also unveiled the plaques to inaugurate three projects worth Rs5.4 billion, including the first phase of Mianwali-Sargodha Road, City Park and Miyawaki Forest near Namal Lake.
“We are ready to talk to everyone who has a different ideology or whom we call right or left. We are ready to resolve our issues with them peacefully, be they are in Balochistan or erstwhile tribal areas or Waziristan. The only ones whom we will never have any reconciliation with are those who looted and laundered the Pakistani people’s money,” he said.
Apprising the gathering of Pakistan’s reshaped foreign policy, the prime minister said now Pakistan would never bow before anyone rather the country would make independent decisions.
The prime minister told the charged gathering that no nation with discriminatory laws for rich and poor could ever make progress.
He said his government would never give any National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) to or make any reconciliation with the corrupt leaders until they were punished for their acts.
Addressing a public gathering, the premier said: “God willing, when we complete our five years, Mianwali would have witnessed the development which has never happened in its history… I always promised that if I get a chance, I will provide [the people] their right through my performance,” the prime minister told the public gathering.”
Thanking the people of Mianwali for supporting him through thick and thin, the prime minister said during the lat general elections, he had also committed to uplift the deprived areas of South Punjab, tribal areas and others.
He said the government is prioritizing the education sector with particular focus on the girls’ education. Regarding Namal University, he said it would emerge as “Oxford University of Pakistan” which would attract students from across the country besides facilitating the people of Mianwali.
Imran Khan told the gathering that not only Pakistan, but the whole world including the US faced unprecedented inflation due to Covid-related lockdown, which led to closure of businesses and reduction in production.
“You will have to understand, it is not only Pakistan’s issue. US, which is the richest country, is facing the worst inflation after 1982 due to lockdown,” he commented.
However, he said Pakistan is still the cheapest country and hoped that the prices would come down within three to four months.
He also highlighted the government’s initiatives of interest free loans for three million families, Rs 2.7 million interest free loans for house building, health cards for whole of Punjab by next March, and Rs47 billion higher education scholarships for 6.2 million students.
“I will never disappoint you. I will take the country to the destination for which it was achieved… The country will become an ideal for others. No force can stop it from becoming a great nation,” he commented.
Earlier, Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar said a District Development Package valuing Rs360 billion has been incorporated in Punjab’s budget to ensure the development of all areas including Thal, Cholistan or Koh-e-Suleman.
He said Punjab’s Rs740 billion development budget is the highest in history. He said the provincial government has announced 1,00,000 jobs and the vacancies would be filled soon.
Buzdar said the provincial government is establishing 21 universities, upgrading 27000 schools, setting up 6000 record centres, besides developing 13 economic zones and approving 16 cement factories.
