LAHORE: Continuing his criticism of ‘agitation politics’, Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif said the circles adopting this style of politics have damaged the country and wasted time of the nation by obstructing development projects.

“Unfortunately, those who did politics of sit-ins and chaos damaged national interest and spoiled eight precious months of the nation through creating hurdles on the road to progress,” the chief minister said while speaking at an export award ceremony of the Lahore Chambers of Commerce and Industry here on Wednesday.

In an apparent reference to the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf’s (PTI) proposed Sept 24 march on Raiwind, he said the elements of sit-in politics were reappearing in different guises. But, he claimed, such sit-in politics had lost its steam as the masses neither supported it in the past, nor will they do now.

He asserted that God had instilled this into the masses that proponents of sit-in politics were against the progress of people and that protests and agitational politics were detrimental to public interest, therefore, they were indifferent to such elements.

The chief minister recalled that the “negative politics of sit-ins” delayed the Chinese president’s official visit back in September 2014, and thus got inking of an agreement postponed on various development projects. He warned that the nation would not forgive those who created hurdles in the way of progress.

Taking credit for speedy implementation of the $46 billion investment agreements signed during the Chinese president’s visit in April 2015, he said the elements against progress started propaganda that loans were taken from China on higher interest rates.

Shahbaz claimed that no one could raise a finger on the transparency in projects executed with Chinese investment, as unlike the rental power projects of the PPP regime no court had moved against these projects.

Referring to the Orange Line Metro Train project, the chief minister claimed those who moved the court against the project on the excuse of damage to national heritage had never visited the historical Shalamar Gardens.

He also said counsels of the rival opposition party PTI and Lahore Bachao Tehreek levelled allegations of corruption in the project, but the court did not say a single word about corruption in its 300-page verdict while issuing a stay order against the train project. He said he respected the verdict of the Lahore High Court but vowed to move the Supreme Court for the train project would benefit ordinary citizens and change the transport culture.

Published in Dawn September 8th, 2016