ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Thursday performed the virtual groundbreaking of Naukundi-Mashkel Road. Speaking from the Prime Minister's Office, the prime minister said that this remote area has remained neglected so far and “if we connect Balochistan there is huge potential to tap”.

However, he said, the province was left behind and the construction of the road is part of the effort to include it in the mainstream.

The prime minister added that connectivity and development of the province is important to make the federation strong.

“The people of Balochistan should not get the impression that Pakistan and their province are moving in opposite directions,” he added.

This road will play a big role towards removing this perception, he said.

The prime minister also dwelled on the economy his government inherited and stated that the country was heading towards a default when his government came to power, and the first year of the incumbent government was consumed in saving the economy, adding that the government protected the economy and people from corona pandemic during the second year of its ongoing tenure.

The prime minister said the entire world acknowledges that Pakistan has done well in the midst of Covid-19 and successfully saved the economy.

The prime minister said the opposition is afraid of the government's success and that is why they had begun declaring from day one that the government had failed.

The prime minister added that the opposition leaders did not want to submit before the law.

The prime minister said he would bring all mafias under the rule of law, and added that the reason behind a prosperous China was rule of law because of which the powerful to submit before the law and as many as 425 ministers were put behind the bars. The situation in India, which also had over one billion population, however is totally the opposite, he added.

The prime minister said he wanted to lift the people out of poverty, adding that health cards would usher in a revolution. He said he was optimistic that private sector would also set up hospitals in rural areas soon.

“For the first time core education (uniform) system is being introduced in the country, Panah Gah will be extended across the country, and reforms in civil procedure law are being made,” he said.

The prime minister said that industry‘s growth was visible for the first time in Pakistan and agriculture reforms were being introduced. An additional Rs1.1 trillion has gone to farmers and there is a 58 percent increase in the sale of tractors, he added.

The prime minister said the poor will get direct subsidy against inflation and increase in electricity cost through Ehsaas programme.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2021