SIALKOT, Jul 17 (APP):Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal has said that working day and night under the leadership of Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, the incumbent government saved the country from default and revived the development projects, which were stopped by the previous government.

Addressing a public gathering after laying the foundation-stone of Sialkot Cantt to Jassar Cantt Road at Phalora on late Sunday night, he said the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) had always accomplished development projects and tried its best to place the country in the list of developed countries.

The minister said some generals, who have retired, and some former judges, imposed Imran Khan on the people of Pakistan under a conspiracy. He said Pakistan had become one of the five fastest growing economies in the world under the leadership of Nawaz Sharif, but the keys to development were snatched from Nawaz Sharif and handed it to a man who had not the experience of even running a union council in his life. That person (Imran Khan) experimented with every sector of the country and destroyed its economy.

He said that in the year 2018, the journey towards development was stopped through a conspiracy and the politics of hatred was started in Pakistan. Ahsan Iqbal said that 15 months ago, when the coalition government was formed through constitutional means, it had to bear the brunt of Imran Khan’s incompetence.

“Had we left the economy as it was inherited from the previous government, the future of 23 crore people would had destroyed with it,” he added. “We managed the economy and now it is out of danger, and on the way to recovery,” Ahsan Iqbal said.

The federal minister said that today, the trust of friendly countries of Pakistan was being restored. He said Pakistan’s friend China had invested $25 billion in Pakistan under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) till 2018. Imran Khan came to power and made false allegations to defame China; he angered the friendly country by alleging corruption in CPEC projects. The result was that in four years, not a single dollar was invested by China in Pakistan, he added.

Ahsan Iqbal said that on July 14, $3.5 billion investment was made by China after five years, in the form of the Chashma nuclear plant. The 1200-MW nuclear power generation project had started with China’s investment. Similarly, work is starting on other CPEC projects, which was stopped in the PTI regime, he added.

The PTI government stopped work on power and water projects to create unrest in Gwadar. He said that the incumbent government completed the water project in Gwadar within six months of coming to the government, completed transmission line of 100-MW power from Iran within one year, laid the power line from Turbat to Panjgur within one year and connected to Gwadar Nation Grid Station.

“If we can complete these projects in one year, then why these projects remained incomplete in four years of Imran Khan,” asked the minister adding that Imran Khan, in fact, wanted to stop the CPEC projects. So that Pakistan becomes bankrupt and it is forced to compromise on its nuclear programme, he added.

The proposed road from Sialkot Cantt to Jassar Cantt is 69-km long and the estimated cost of the project is Rs. 7,065.597 million.

Federal Parliamentary Secretary Ali Zahid, Former Member Provincial Assembly Rana Liaqat and a large number of people were also present at the ceremony.