Not the duty of govt to stage demonstrations, says PM Nawaz

MULTAN: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said that it is not the duty of the government to stage demonstrations, ARY News reported.

He made the statement while addressing the inauguration ceremony of Multan Metro Bus project on Tuesday.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said that he did not come to Multan to play politics or stage sit-ins.

He said, “We have come to the historical city to give the people the beautiful gift of metro bus.”

He added, “We have not come here to waste the time nor mislead the masses.”

The prime minister stated that the Parliamentarians appointed from Multan should have been invited to the ceremony so they could witness the government has given to the nation.

PM Sharif said that the government rejected the proposal of taking fares more than Lahore or Rawalpindi.

Criticizing Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), he asked where was “Naya Pakistan”. He added that the nation should visit Multan if they want to see a new Pakistan.

PM Nawaz Sharif said that politicians who use the language of abuse will be exposed.

He also said that Lahore to Multan motorway will also reach here soon.

PM Sharif stated that Balochistan was never given this much importance. He added that from power plants to roads, everything is being constructed in Balochistan.

“A web of roads is being constructed in Balochistan,” the prime minister said.

The premier said that loadshedding has declined in the country. He added that energy crisis in the country will end in 2018.

“Sixteen hours of power outages used to take place in 2013 but it seemed as if it was 36 hours,” PM Sharif said.

“Not only we want to end loadshedding, we want to bring down power costs as well,” he added.

The prime minister stated that land worth Rs. 10 billion was purchased for Bhasha Dam which will generate 4,000 megawatts of electricity.

The premier said that government’s National Health Insurance will be launched in Multan.

Earlier, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Chief Minister of Punjab Shahbaz Sharif inaugurated the project.

Over 1500 guests — which included foreign ambassadors, national and provincial ministers, members of the parliament — were present in the inauguration ceremony.

According to the government radio, the project’s technical advisor Sabir Khan Sadozai said that the 18.5 kilometers long track of the project has been completed at a cost of over Rs. 28 billion.

Thirty-five buses will run on the track and approximately 95,000 people will travel by these buses daily, Sadozai said.

He mentioned that the escalators, lifts, generators, expansion joints and launching pads of the project were imported from Europe.

Multan, is the third city of Punjab that have metro bus to facilitate the commuters. Earlier, two bus projects were launched in Lahore and twin cities of Rawalpindi-Islamabad.

It is pertinent to mention here that the people in other Pakistani cities including the largest city of Karachi still deprived of the state of art transport projects and commuting in miserable conditions at the hands of private transporters.