ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Tuesday said he was proud of his government for taking initiatives with regard to saving the future of coming generations instead of pursuing the approach of gaining votes in elections.

He said the government addressed the challenges of pollution, deforestation, water scarcity and food shortage compared to the previous rulers who had spent extravagantly on roads construction at inflated rates at the cost of public expense.

He was speaking at the groundbreaking ceremony of 128-kilometre Lilla-Jhelum dual carriageway which will be completed in 30 months at a cost of Rs16 billion and will connect Khushab, Mandi Bahauddin, Gujrat and Mirpur regions.

Mr Khan said a country could not make progress if its rulers ignored its people and limited their strategy to gain votes.

Says his party would emerge successful in eyes of public by achieving goals of progress, prosperity after five years

He mentioned that after 50 years, the country was getting three big dams as the government realised the imminent challenge of shortage of water.

He said due to the apathy of the previous governments the ruthless tree cutting had turned several cities, including Lahore, once used to be called as City of Gardens, into a concrete jungle. The prime minister said his government had planted around 2.5 billion trees with a target of 10 billion in coming years.

During the pandemic, he said, the prudent policies of the government received global recognition in line with the decisions of the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC).

“I am proud of our team that has helped the country sail smoothly through the challenge of the century,” he said. The prime minister expressed confidence that the government would effectively overcome the passing phase of inflation as a result of the global situation.

“In the coming days, we are going to announce a big package to give relief to the common man,” he said.

After completion of the five-year tenure, he said, Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) would emerge successful in the eyes of the public by achieving the goals of development and prosperity.

He said the Lilla-Jhelum road project would help promote tourism in the area, boost farm-to-the-market supply of agricultural produce, enhance employment opportunities and strengthen economic development.

Chief Minister Punjab Usman Buzdar said the road would provide business and trade opportunities to the people, particularly of north Punjab.

He said under the District Development Programme, around 103 projects worth Rs11.3 billion were being carried out in Jhelum. He said the Punjab government in collaboration with Asian Development Bank would construct four roads of 5,006 kilometres in length.

Minister for Information and Broadcasting and MNA from Jhelum, Chaudhry Fawad Hussain, said the Lilla-Jhelum road would connect Grand Trunk Road with the motorway.

Published in Dawn, November 17th, 2021