KOHAT: Former PML-N senator and state minister Abbas Afridi has said that the scheduled visit of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to Kohat has been postponed temporarily due to his pressing engagements in Islamabad in the wake of opposition’s demands for investigating Panama leaks according to ToRs finalised by them.

Talking to Dawn here on Wednesday, he said that the prime minister was due to announce multi-billion development projects for Kohat during his visit on May 10. He said that the PM’s visit was confirmed on Monday last and the local Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz leaders had given final touches to the arrangements in this regard.

Mr Afridi claimed that the prime minister was due to announce major development projects, including dualisation of Kohat-Fateh Jang highway between Kohat and Rawalpindi, gas supply to all the villages from local reserves, link road to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor route, girls university and many other schemes at a public meeting on May 10. He said that the new date for the PM’s visit would be decided soon so that Kohat was not deprived of development projects.

Abbas Afridi says PM will announce major projects

The PML-N leader said that the opposition did not want progress of the country and demanding resignation of the prime minister without waiting for the verdict of the commission which was demanded by it.

Mr Afridi said that the politicians, including that of the opposition, had got huge loans written off and as such across-the-board accountability should be conducted in the country. He clarified that allegations of offshore companies and money laundering were levelled against the family of Nawaz Sharif, but the demand of opposition for his resignation was beyond understanding. He said that the opposition was afraid of the increasing popularity of PML-N.

Published in Dawn, May 5th, 2016