LAHORE/SIALKOT:
The current coalition government’s official term ends next month, but Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced on Sunday that it would give over power to an interim set-up early.
While promising to “honour the people’s decision” in the upcoming general election, the prime minister urged the masses to keep “facts” before them when deciding the future course of action during his speeches in Lahore and Sialkot.
The current prime minister has stated that the previous Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) is to blame for the collapse of the national economy, which has resulted in hardship for the people.
Shehbaz said that the national economy would be turned around and the country would be set on the path to progress and prosperity if his Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) was voted back to power.
At the Governor House in Lahore, the Prime Minister addressed the ceremony to give checks to the youth as part of the government’s Youth, Business, and Agriculture Loan Scheme. “I am not saying that you should vote for [PML-N Quaid] Nawaz Sharif or me,” he remarked.
“I am only asking that you take into consideration the evidence-based image and testimonials before you, as well as the destruction brought to the country during the last four years [PTI regime’s term],” he concluded.
And if you vote for Nawaz Sharif in the upcoming elections, I guarantee that we can fix everything and set Pakistan on the road to prosperity.
He emphasised that the people had the last say in who would be elected. But he said he would “honour” the outcome of the next general election, no matter who the voters chose.
Shehbaz praised Nawaz, a three-time prime minister, for his statesmanship despite the fact that he and his family were forced into exile as a result of a vicious political vengeance.
Shehbaz, on the other side, said that the PTI head had a “PML-N phobia” and was “hell-bent” on locking up PML-N officials through a series of politically motivated prosecutions.
He claimed that the previous administration had come to power by illegitimate means, and that throughout its four years in office it had often accused the opposition of corruption without providing evidence.
The prime minister said that the PTI was involved in numerous massive corruption scams during their time in office. These included the sugar and wheat scandals, the BRT Peshawar scandal, the Malam Jabba scandal, the selling of Toshakhana presents, the misappropriation of money returned by the UK government, etc.
The PTI administration was marked by a proliferation of allegations, controversies, and profanity. He added that wealthy families were granted loans totaling around $3 billion. I don’t understand why this money wasn’t invested on young people.
Conversely, he stated, “Nawaz Sharif was implicated in Panama Papers case but handed penalty on Iqama accusations. The PTI leader, Imran Khan, was consistently granted bail while Nawaz Sharif made frequent court appearances.
IMF and the Economy
Shehbaz remarked that the rising strength of the rupee versus the US dollar made possible the price cuts for petroleum goods that were announced on Saturday.
The prime minister elaborated, saying that the stable value of the rupee was also due to a positive component of the IMF programme. He compared the Stand-by Arrangement to a “sweetmeat” in describing it.
Shehbaz added that all youth schemes in the country were initiated by Nawaz, including the Prime Minister’s Youth Business and Agriculture Loan Scheme.
He said that the scheme’s success could be measured by the fact that 99 percent of the loans were repaid to the banks. The fate of the country can be altered through personal sacrifice and collective effort.
The Prime Minister’s Laptop Initiative for Young People
Shehbaz also assured the people of Pakistan that his government will serve out its full term while speaking at a ceremony to hand out computers to students at Government College Women’s University in Sialkot as part of the Prime Minister’s Youth Laptop Scheme.
The government’s term will end next month, and a caretaker administration will take over, he said. “If people give us a chance, our government will bring revolution in the field of education,” he said.
Pakistan, according to the prime minister, will become a great nation thanks to its meritocratic system, and no country will advance if its women are not empowered to participate in its economic and political life.
The prime minister also stated that the government’s first concern was the welfare of the people, promising to give out 100,000 computers to students in the current fiscal year.
Afterwards, the Prime Minister met with a delegation that included elected officials and business leaders from the Sialkot Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI). He was given information regarding the challenges facing the committee.
Shehbaz ordered the creation of exporter problem-solving centres with a single point of contact at the time.