Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday urged the nation to work hard to get the country through a “difficult time”.

He made the remarks at a ceremony after he laid the foundation stone of the Bab-i-Pakistan project and an upgrade to Walton Road in Lahore.

“Today, once again we are at a historical place,” he said at the ceremony on Saturday morning. “In the past 20-25 years this is my eighth or tenth visit. This place reminds us of the millions of people who migrated here.”

He cited the historical significance of the place and harkened back to difficulties of Partition. He said: “People braved difficulties and there is no other example in history when it comes to sacrifices rendered by children and women. This led to the creation of our country. Thousands of migrants stayed at this point in Walton.

“There are disturbing tales of how people lost their lives and belongings wishing to reach Pakistan.”

He then described the winding journey of the project over the years, from 1997 to present. “We were supposed to make this venue a place to visit for international and local visitors,” he said. He also then spoke about the alleged graft in the project, but did not go into specifics.

He said he was told that Rs900 million worth of white granite was planned to be imported from Italy for the monument. “I asked the reason for it. The officer concerned said the creation of Pakistan could not be highlighted without importing that granite. I told him we have financial issues and have several projects to undertake. Should we spend Rs900 million on this thing? But he had no answer. But he said we have given an order. But I reminded him to follow my order that this stone will not be imported. He lodged my complaint with someone else.”

He described the contractor as a “fraud”. “He had no experience but he was given the contract without bidding,” the PM lamented.

He said he was at the project again after years but it was still in “ruins”. “I will talk about it when the IMF agreement reaches its conclusion. But I want to talk about the historical place that how billions of Pakistan rupees were misappropriated.”

He then asked why the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) never looked into the alleged graft in this project. “I wish no one goes to NAB’s akhuwat khana, not even my enemy. Innocent people were pushed against the wall. [But] this project, where billions were misappropriated, did NAB look into the elements who indulged in corruption in this project?”

He said until such a system was “buried”, the country cannot progress and see development. “The picture of the past that I painted today is to lay the facts before the nation. There are several other projects that were lost to corruption but no action has been taken.

“But we should not lose hope. We are also going through a difficult time, and if we endeavour round the clock and if the well-off do their part, this ship will reach its destination. The only condition is that we have to work day and night.”

He then thanked the National Logistics Cell chairman and expressed hope he would complete this project and work round the clock.

“I request [caretaker Punjab CM] Mohsin Naqvi to support this project and so will other departments. This is not a 10-15 year delay. This is a 20-25 years delay. I urge everyone to play their role and complete this [project] collectively.”