All political parties to hold dialogue on the creation of new provinces : PM Abbasi

Lahore : Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi Saturday said that new provinces should be created only through political consensus as no single party could bring about a constitutional amendment, nor it should do.

Addressing a public gathering after inaugurating the 45-kilometer long section of National Highway-5 linking Jalapur Pirwala with Uch Sharif areas of South Punjab, the prime minister said all political parties should incorporate the demand of new provinces in their manifestos and hold dialogue after general election to evolve consensus on the subject. “The same demand exists in KP, Sindh and Balochistan. People also talk of South Punjab. People also talk of Hazara and South KP. This is a political dialogue. All political parties should join their heads as no single party can decide it,” he remarked.

Referring to some parliamentarians of the Pakistan Muslim League-N who had recently announced their resignations in a press conference, calling for a South Punjab province, the prime minister said they had been the part of the PML-N government for last five years and they should have raised the issue there.

Holding press conferences two months before the election will not help resolve public issues. Public representation is not made through press conferences but by public service, the prime minister remarked.

He recalled that it was only the PML-N that had got passed resolution for South Punjab and Bahawalpur provinces.

The prime minister, who earlier unveiled the plaque of the project, said the Seraiki people always showed loyalty to PML-N and elected the representatives who served them as well as the country.

He hoped that the PML-N would stand victorious in next polls as the party had executed record development projects, having no comparison with the performance of government’s during the last 65 years.

He said the PML-N’s performance always haunted its opponents and they very characteristic would take it to lead the next election.

He said the credit of accomplishing all half-complete projects of its predecessors also went to PML-N government, be it Lowari Tunnel, Kachi Canal, Neelum Jhelum or the one inaugurated on the day.

Prime Minister Abbasi told the gathering that the project had cost Rs 5 billion and said that his party always ensured the completion of development projects.

Since its inception, only 20,000 megawatt were produced in the country, but the incumbent government executed power projects to inject another 10,400MW to national grid, he added.

He also drew comparison between the development works, done in the opposition-led Sindh and KP provinces and those in the Punjab.

Prime Minister Khaqan Abbasi, who was accompanied by Minister for Education and Professional Training Engineer Balighur Rehman and local parliamentarians, also questioned the inertia of previous governments for failing to expand motorways network despite having resources.

In fact they had no intention to serve the masses and were there only wanted to loot the national kitty, he remarked.

He said the PML-N government was about to complete its term, proving all the prophecies of the so-called political leaders wrong.

He said the people did not like the politics of falsity and in July election, they would once again chose between the politics of false and truth and politics of abuses and respect.

He questioned as why the CPEC could not be signed during previous governments and mentioned the construction of 1700 kilometers long network of motorways from Karachi to Peshawar what he believed would change the fate of the country.

As demanded by the local leadership, the prime minister also announced the construction of motorway interchanges for Bahawalpur and Ahmedpur Sharqia.

Regarding the elevation of Ahmedpur Sharqia city’s status to district, the prime minister said the legal hitches and Election Commission’s decision barred him to announce but hoped that Punjab Chief Minister would do fulfill their demand.

The prime minister said despite all odds including the legal proceedings, the government kept up its development course.

However, he reiterated that the political decisions should be made at polling stations, as history would not respect certain verdicts, even after having been implemented.

He said earlier Nawaz Sharif was disqualified for not getting salary from his son’s firm but on Friday, he had been disqualified for lifetime. “We accept this decision too. But keep in mind, the history will tell you something else,” he remarked.