Kisan Package, motorways, anti-terrorism efforts herald New Pakistan: PM

Lahore: Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif Friday said announcement of a historic Kisan Package, Karachi-Lahore Motorway, ongoing efforts to rid country of terrorism and power crisis herald a real New Pakistan.

“The previous governments did nothing for power generation. We accepted this challenges and will resolve the issue within stint…Operation against terrorism will continue till the menace is rooted out. We will not allow decapitation and killings in name of Islam,” the Prime Minister said addressing a ceremony of cheque distribution among the farmers under Kisan Package.

He said the government would break ground for Lahore-Karachi Motorway by next month. Work on Hazara Motorway was already underway that, in next phases, would link the country with China through Khunjrab.

He said a network of roads would be constructed under China-Pakistan Economic Corridors enhancing connectivity among the provinces as well as the states. “Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is being linked with Balochistan through the western corridor. This will also link Quetta with Iran. A road to connect Torkham and Jalalabad is also being constructed,” the Prime Minister said.

He said since his previous government built Lahore-Islamabad and Islamabad-Peshawar Motorways in 1999, the successor governments could not expand the network during last 16 years.

Nawaz Sharif said a motorway between Sialkot and Lahore would soon be built as all arrangements in this regard had been finalized. He said once these motorway projects are completed, the people would be able to reach Karachi from Sialkot within few hours by road without bearing the high airfares. “This is New Pakistan which is in the making. This is called New Pakistan. This is the mindset and ideology of development,” he commented.

The Prime Minister said Sialkot districts generates the foreign exchange of around US$ two billion and rest of the districts should also follow the suit, what if done, can collectively take the foreign exchange volume to US$ 200 billion.

Appreciating the role of agriculture community for national economy, the Prime Minister said through Kisan Package, the government desired to mitigate the losses faced by the farmers incurred by the decreased prices of produces in international market.