APS tragedy united nation against terrorism: Shahbaz Gill

PESHAWAR: Special Assistant to the Prime Minister for Political Communication, Dr Shahbaz Gill here Wednesday said the horrific tragedy of Army Public School (APS) Peshawar has united nation against terrorism and it was the supreme sacrifices of APS’ students, their teachers and our valiant soldiers that resulted in return of complete peace in the country.

Addressing a press-conference along with Special Assistant to the Chief Minister for Information and Higher Education Kamran Bangash, Dr Shahbaz Gill said the entire nation had stood up for martyred students of APS, their teachers and families after terrorists had attacked their school six years ago and the national unity destroyed the nefarious designs of enemy of peace and evil forces.

“Six years ago, there was a brutal and inhuman terrorist attack on APS and innocent people were brutally killed in bombs and suicide blasts but today we are talking about economic growth and development due to return of durable peace in the country,” he said.

Following elimination of terrorism, he said, Government was now focusing on economic development imperative for alleviation of poverty and generation of employment opportunities and today the Prime Minister is going to inaugurate a number of mega development projects in Peshawar and Nowshera district.

He said the opposition was united to protect its personal interest and massive corruption and their ill designs to get NRO by pressuring government through agitation politics and holding meaningless flopped rallies would not be fulfilled.

He demanded Maulana Fazl ur Rehman to tender apology to people of southern districts over his indecent remarks against Pashtoon tribes, adding Maulana Fazl remarks showed his deep frustration after his politics was rejected by people even in his stronghold.

He said the sugar commission’s inquiry report has exposed opposition malpractices and such elements were now hiding faces from people. Shahbaz Gill said despite COVID-19, the country’s economy has started moving upward as evident from significant increase in production of urea, textile, cement, pharmaceutical and vehicles.

He said in last October, a record increase of 11.3 pc has been registered in production of pharmaceutical and 25 percent in cement besides 10.7pc in vehicles besides others industrial sectors as result of goal oriented policies of PTI Government.

Gill said it was ironic that opposition who were earlier advocating for complete lockdown due to coronavirus in first phase were now busy in ‘Jalsi Jalsi’ politics putting lives of thousands of people in danger and undermining the rising economic growth and industrial development.

Gill informed that Punjab Government has received allocations for setting up of five new cement units in different cities including DG Khan, Jehlum and Khushab which was testimony of an upward growth of construction industry in Pakistan.

He said construction projects on around 70 million square feet would be built that would generate employment opportunities to over three lacs in Punjab, adding these massive development projects have unnerved the opposition parties as they knew that if the PTI Govt complete its five term the promise of generating employment opportunities for 10 million people would easily be fulfilled.

Shahbaz Gill said the PTI government was taking solid measures for socio-economic development of poor people, adding affordable housing projects were introduced in big cities to provide quality housing facilities to homeless and low income groups.

Of these, in Lahore, a project comprising 35,000 housing apartments would be built for poor people, adding each apartment would cost from Rs 2.5 million to Rs 2.7 million and the government would provide low interest loan on five percent to facilitate poor masses to make them enable to own houses.