NAUSHAHRO FEROZE/SUKKUR: On his first visit to the interior of Sindh after assuming office, Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi on Saturday went on the offensive against the provincial government, saying that there were no signs of development anywhere in the province under the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP).

The prime minister was speaking at a reception hosted by Minister for Industries Ghulam Murtaza Jatoi, where he announced a Rs2.5 billion package for Naushahro Feroze, including Rs1.5bn for gas schemes, Rs1bn for the road network, Rs200 million for the Mehrabpur municipal adminstration and a health card scheme.

PM Abbasi, who also inaugurated the Kandhkot gas field later in the day, criticised the PPP and the Sindh government, saying that even though the province was a major producer of gas and was the recipient of a 50 per cent federal government subsidy, there were no signs of any development in the province, and no mega projects had been launched.

He said that all powers had been transferred to the provinces after the 18th amendment, yet the provincial ruling party had not initiated any projects there. The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government, he said, had added 10,000MW to the national grid over the past four years and had completed projects that had been pending for over 20 years.

Accuses Sindh govt of ignoring development projects; inaugurates new gas field in Kandhkot

Urging the people of Sindh to evaluate the performance of their rulers over the past five years before voting in the next election, he said that political decisions were made at the polling stations, not in courts or on the streets.

The PML-N has carried out various development schemes in the country for the welfare of people, he said, adding that more than 100 gas reservoirs had been discovered under the tenure of the present government.

He criticised those who thought that the Supreme Court decision of July 28 would cause chaos, saying that everything went off smoothly. He added that there were no other aspirants for the PM’s slot in the party.

Praising his predecessor, he said Nawaz Sharif was the only leader who had managed to keep the country united.

The prime minister also called upon the PPP to “mull over” the Charter of Democracy, signed by the late Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif in 2005. “The Charter of Democracy ensured that the politics of vendetta will end and the mandate of the masses will be respected. That is not what we see happening today, unfortunately,” he regretted.

The PML-N was the only party that had proved with its words and deeds that it wanted Pakistan to progress, he said.

Recounting PML-N’s achievements, he said the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) would benefit the country over the next 50 years and would help strengthen its economy in the long term.

“We are fighting a war against terrorism and 200,000 Pakistan Army troops are in the field,” he said, expressing the hope that the country would soon be rid of the scourge of terrorism.

Addressing the gathering, Mr Jatoi thanked the PM for his visit and revealed that he too was asked to join the PPP. However, the minister said he had refused, even though the party was facing victimisation and people were being pressurised through local police to join the party.

He echoed the PM’s view that the province had been deprived and no development work had been carried out in his district.

Published in Dawn, October 8th, 2017