During short period of one-and-half year, incumbent govt faced most difficult challenges of history: PM Shehbaz

DERA ISMAIL KHAN, July 25 (SABAH): Prime Minister Mian Muhammad Shehabaz Sharif has said that during the short period of one-and-half year, the incumbent government had to face the most difficult challenges of the history.

Addressing the groundbreaking ceremony of eight development projects in Dera Ismail Khan, Mian Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif vowed to break the begging bowl by curtailing government expenses. He further said that former premier exploited the economic situation he himself had created to gain political mileage.

He emphasized that devastating floods hit the country soon after his government took office amid growing inflation and unrelenting political crises. Yet, the coalition government managed to steer the country out of the economic crisis, he said.

He remarked, “We faced devastating floods on one side, and inflation, pressure by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and a political crisis on the other. Such challenging problems have never been faced by me in my whole life.”

Shehbaz Sharif said that all the coalition parties had unanimously decided to ensure economic stability at all costs, including their politics. Such resolve on their part helped the government bring the country out of crisis, he said, adding that there was record wheat production as compared to the previous decade, which saved the country billions of dollars.

The Prime Minister claimed that political opponents had wished for the country to default but such hopes were thwarted by the incumbent government. Had former regimes fully utilised the country’s rich resources such as hydro power, the country might have had affordable and clean energy, said Shehbaz, stressing the overhaul of a faulty power transmission system that causes losses worth more than Rs400 billion to the national exchequer.

Vowing to break the pattern of borrowing, Shehbaz said that a comprehensive plan of Pakistan Green Initiative has been undertaken to take the country to new heights of development and prosperity.

The Prime Minister said billions of rupees scholarships have been disbursed among youth besides distributing millions of laptops among talented students. He said the government also distributed one hundred billion rupees among flood affectees. He said the coalition government of PDM worked hard for economic stability and strengthening democracy in the country.

Shehbaz Sharif said people are suffering due to flawed policies of the previous government of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf and its deal with the IMF. He thanked Almighty Allah for enabling him to pull the country out of the risk of default.

Meanwhile, Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) Chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, who was present on the occasion, thanked the prime minister for his personal interest in ensuring the development of the area.

Energy Minister Engineer Khurram Dastgir Khan was full of praises for the premier as well. He said that development projects, which were suspended between 2018 to 2022, were now being completed on priority.