Punjab Chief Minister Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif lashed out against President Asif Ali Zardari and his colleagues and claimed that 'Zar baba and forty thieves' had ruined the national economy with corruption of "billions and trillions" of rupees. Addressing a big public meeting in Kot Mirza in the Shorkot area on Wednesday, he said that energy crisis had devastated industrial and agriculture sectors.
The corrupt mafia looted cultivators in the sale of fertilisers and now this mafia wanted to strike a blow to Punjab's textile industry by gas and electricity outages. He said if Daanish Schools are to be built for providing opportunities of quality education to the poor children, laptops are to be distributed, solar lamps are to be given to students under Ujala Scheme and welfare programmes are to be continued for the benefit of under-privileged segments, then the looted money of the nation will have to be recovered from 'Zar Baba and Forty Thieves' and politics of corruption would have to be buried forever
He said the PML-N government had served the masses with honesty and commitment during the past four and a half years, promoting a corruption-free culture in the province. He said he was ready to face any punishment if corruption of even a single paisa was proven against the PML-N government.
He said that Punjab government has executed record development projects across the province during his tenure. He said development activities worth billions of rupees have been carried out in district Jhang and people are benefiting from major projects. He said the provincial government spent Rs 500 million on the construction and extension of the Jhang-Gojra Road, besides spending Rs 700 million on the construction of Jhang Bypass. Similarly, he said that Rs 500 million were being spent on the construction of a dual road between Faisalabad Road Bypass and railway crossing.
The Chief Minister said that ownership rights had been granted for people living in Katchi Abadies across the province, benefiting at least 200,000 poor people. He reminded people that MNA Saima Akhtar Bharwana had twice been elected from this area and the PML-N would field her again in the upcoming elections. He said that Mehr Akhtar Abbas Bharwana, Saima Akhtar Bharwana's father, had been a member of Nawaz Sharif's cabinet.
He urged the people to vote for PML-N candidates in the coming general elections. The Chief Minister announced the setting up of an industrial estate in Shorkot and construction and extension of a road between Qaim Bharwana and Toba Tek Sigh. Member National Assembly Saima Akhtar Bharwana and former advisor Mehr Akhtar Abbas Bharwana also addressed the public meeting.