MULTAN: Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi has said that Prime Minister Imran Khan enjoys full confidence of both the public and the parliament unlike the Pakistan Democratic Movement’s (PDM) leadership.

The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) was voted to power by the masses and the opposition should honour that public mandate, Mr Qureshi said while talking to the people of his constituency on Saturday.

The minister said the whole nation knew the politics of PDM leaders very well and the government was not worried about their so-called protest movement.

He questioned as to why the opposition leaders were waiting for January 31 to tender resignations from the assemblies. Their disappointment was apparent as the prime minister would not resign as per their desire or pressure, he said.

The PDM leaders failed to take any decision in their meeting that lasted more than five and a half hours, the PTI leader told the people of Multan.

Says govt not worried about PDM protest plan

The foreign minister said the incumbent government was making all-out efforts to ensure early completion of the second phase of China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), which would bring a new era of development in the country.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs was following modern trends of economic diplomacy, he said, explaining that diplomats across the world were given certain targets to promote the country’s economy.

Welcoming the intra-Afghan dialogue process, Mr Qureshi said peace in Afghanistan would lead to peace in the region. But, he added, the Hindutva policy of Narendra Modi government was a threat to peace and stability of entire Asia.

The foreign minister also visited some areas of the constituency to condole with the people whose relatives had died. He told the people that Mr Khan would announce mega development package for Multan during his upcoming visit.

Provincial capital

While chairing a meeting, Mr Qureshi observed that Multan was a mega city and there was a need to launch development schemes in different sectors of the city. Multan would be a provincial capital in future, he stated.

He claimed that the government was focusing equally on both urban and rural areas. He also hinted at a ‘comprehensive strategy’ being adopted to resolve sewerage issues of the city on a permanent basis. Similarly, education and health sectors were also among government priorities.

Chief Whip of the National Assembly and Special Assistant to Prime Minister Malik Aamir Dogar instructed the district administration to shift timber, iron and grain markets outside the city. He highlighted the need to widen road from Dera Adda to Northern Bypass via Lodhi Colony.

Punjab Minister for Energy Dr Akhtar Malik on the occasion said 82 basic health units would be provided electricity through solar energy.

Provincial parliamentary secretary for information Nadeem Qureshi called for promotion of cultural and religious identity of the City of Saints.

MPA Qasim Langah demanded that road between Shujabad and Jalalpur Pirwala be widened.

Earlier while giving a briefing to the parliamentarians, deputy commissioner Aamir Khattak highlighted the need for recruitment to improve the working of Water and Sanitation Authority. He said machinery and human resources were also required for the waste management company.

He said that work on uplift schemes worth Rs2,280 million were in progress across the district. Similarly, Rs5.73 billion was being spent on the area under annual development programme, the deputy commissioner added.

Published in Dawn, January 3rd, 2021