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Corruption charges against me are ‘baseless’: Shehbaz
LAHORE: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President and former chief minister of Punjab province Shehbaz Sharif Tuesday maintained that he did not misuse even a single penny of the taxpayers’ money during his stint in power. “All charges against me in NAB and other courts are baseless. I spent public money in a transparent way for […]
LAHORE: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President and former chief minister of Punjab province Shehbaz Sharif Tuesday maintained that he did not misuse even a single penny of the taxpayers’ money during his stint in power.
“All charges against me in NAB and other courts are baseless. I spent public money in a transparent way for the public welfare projects,” he told a press conference at his Model Town residence. The PML-N leader came down hard on rival Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI), accusing it of resorting to politics of negativity and sit-ins and being responsible for an undue delay in the Orange Line Metro Train project.
“Imran Khan did nothing but hurled allegations at PML-N during the whole five years. Despite tall claims during 2013 election campaign, PTI-governed Khyber Pukhtunkhwa produced minus-five megawatts of electricity in their tenure. Not a single hydropower project was launched in the province,” he claimed. “While PTI remained busy in levelling allegations, we worked hard and facilitated the people through a number of vital infrastructure projects,” he said. “We tolerated PTI’s allegations day and night, but responded by working [hard]. The past five years showed the nation [who is right and who is wrong],” he added.
Shehbaz said that his government installed a number of power projects in Punjab out of province’s own resources while PML-N government in the Centre also launched and completed several power projects. The electricity generated from these projects has been added to the national grid, he said.
It is PML-N that completed land acquisition for Diamir Basha Dam with Rs 100 billion,” he pointed out, vowing that the party will continue to invest its passion and energy into building dams and water reservoirs. He announced to build new dams after coming into power following the July 25 general elections.
Shedding light on the progress made in human development areas in Punjab, Shehbaz said the province took the lead in instituting a culture of efficiency, transparency and savings in the execution of public development projects. “The electorate will deliver their verdict on who did what while in the government,” he said, as he questioned what the PTI had managed to do in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
“Punjab transformed the public transport infrastructure,” he said, citing examples of three metro bus systems, the upcoming Orange Line Metro Train project as well as Speedo buses. “Look at how PTI dug out the whole city of Peshawar for the BRT project,” the former chief minister remarked.
On education reforms, Shehbaz noted that under the Punjab Educational Endowment Fund, scholarships worth Rs 17 billion have been distributed among 350,000 underprivileged on merit. He said that the province brought 90,000 children working at the brick kilns to schools by offering their families financial incentives. Punjab has set up 19 universities and 200 new colleges during the tenure, he added.
Lauding the leadership of party supremo Nawaz Sharif, Shehbaz said that the federal government under the leadership of former prime minister brought about marked improvements in areas of counter-terrorism, energy and economy. Pakistan armed forces and other law enforcement agencies rendered countless sacrifices to reduce terrorism to its lowest point, he noted.
In the health sector, Shehbaz pointed out that Punjab established state-of-the-art Pakistan Kidney and Liver Institute and Research Centre. Two kidney transplants have been carried out successfully at the centre, while free medical treatment to kidney and liver patients will save them from travelling to India for transplant, he said.
Published in Daily Times, June 6th 2018.
