CHAKWAL: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said here on Monday that his government’s ‘plan D’ was for ‘development’, indirectly taking a swipe at Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf’s ‘plan D’ which he said was for ‘destruction’.

Addressing a ceremony held to mark the launching of renovation of Islamabad-Lahore Motorway (M-2) at Balkassar, the prime minister said: “Whenever we put the country on the path of progress, not mere stones but mountains are placed to block it.”

He said such obstructions would not deter his government because people had rejected the politics of sit-ins and protests. “We have launched a number of major development projects and we will go ahead with them to make Pakistan a prosperous country.”

He said when his party would go back to the electorate in 2018 it would proudly tell them that the promises made by the PML-N had been met – loadshedding has been ended, exchange rate and inflation have been lowered, mega development projects have been completed and extremism and terrorism have been eradicated.

Without naming the PTI, the prime minister said that his opponents would have the little to tell the nation, except that they shut cities down, held protests and sit-ins, introduced the politics of arson and looting, obstructed progress and development, attacked parliament and abused democracy. “They are damaging the entire country as they did one province,” he said, obviously referring to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa where the PTI rules.

He said his government had reduced electricity tariff and added that it would be further reduced and loadshedding would be ended with the completion of a number of projects.

The prime minister said the renovation of Islamabad-Lahore Motorway should have been carried out five years ago but it was ignored by the last government.

“When we first started this mega project, our government was toppled, but we completed it when people again elected us in 1997,” he said, adding that the overlay and modernisation of the M-2, built 16 years ago, would be completed in one and a half years. The Frontier Works Organisation (FWO) will pay Rs206 billion to the government, besides completing the project.

“The motorway is an asset of the country which was built at a cost of Rs30bn and now its value has gone up to Rs249bn. Those who criticised the project are now using it,” he added.

He said his government would build motorways between Peshawar and Kabul and between Lahore and Karachi.

Earlier, FWO Director General Maj Gen Mohammad Afzal said the project would be completed by the FWO and the National Highway Authority.

The people of Talagang were expecting the prime minister to announce the upgradation of the tehsil to district, but he only said: “Talagang should be given the status of district.”

The ceremony was attended by Information Minister Pervez Rashid and parliamentarians belonging to Chakwal district.

Published in Dawn December 16th , 2014