Prime Minister Imran Khan Monday reiterated that the government would not withdraw corruption cases against the opposition leaders and challenged them to do whatever they could do.

Addressing the inauguration ceremony of 39.3 kilometer Havelian-Mansehra section of the118-km-long Havelian-Thakot motorway project, the prime minister said a hue and cry by the opposition parties would end as soon as he gave an 'NRO' to them.

Speaker National Assembly Asad Qaiser, Minister for Communications Murad Saeed, Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Mahmood Khan also attended the ceremony besides the senior officers of the government and Chinese companies.

The four-lane controlled access motorway is part of the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project and will serve as main route for the commercial traffic between two countries, besides reducing the travel time by up to 2.5 hours between Islamabad and Mansehra.

Referring to the recent sit-in by the Jamiat UIema-e-Isalm-Fazl, what he dubbed as "Circus on Container" also joined by other opposition parties, the prime minister said their only agenda was to pressure the government to withdraw corruption cases.

Even, he said in the negotiations held during the protest, the opposition parties had also put forward a minus-one formula as their only objection was on Imran Khan.

The prime minister said he realized that the people were facing rising inflation but it was all due to the same political parties who had quadrupled the debt burden on the country.

He said he had already challenged the opposition leaders to spend

just a month on a container and get all of their demands fulfilled by the government.

"We spent 126 days on a container. A few of my cabinet members were worried but I told them not to worry as I know what is container and Dharna. You can spend 126 days only if your efforts are based on an ideology," he remarked.

He said he had been trained to face the challenges and ups and downs and also to rise after every fall.

He said the PTI-led government was the first one to take the responsibility of the seminaries' students but JUI-F leader Maulana Fazlur Rehman misguided them and tried to exploit them by using the religion card.

"But the way these kids have been exploited in this Dharna is deplorable. When you go and ask Dharna participants, they say Islam is in danger, Imran Khan is here to hoist the Israeli flag and we are here to save Islam. Some other talked of Khatm-e-Nabuwat or any likely dominance of Qadianis," the prime minister said.

He said the students of the seminaries were compelled to brave the harsh weather conditions while their leadership was enjoying at their luxury houses.

The prime minister said how a person, who could change his loyalties just for the sake of chairmanship of Kashmir Committee or a diesel permit, could lecture on religion.

Commenting on the participation of Shahbaz Sharif and Bilawal Bhutto Zardari in the sit-in, he said he had foretold that they (opposition) would gather for having the common interests. But, their interests were totally different to those of the people of Pakistan, the prime minister commented.

The prime minister said despite opposition by many members, the cabinet had made an unprecedented decision on humanitarian grounds to allow a convicted Nawaz Sharif to go abroad for medical treatment and had just sought a guarantee of Rs 7 billion.

He said how Shahbaz Sharif could give personal guarantee for others while he himself was facing corruption cases. All including Shahbaz Sharif's son and son-in-law, two sons of Nawaz Sharif, and Ishaq Dar and his sons had absconded to avoid the corruption cases in Pakistan, he added.

The prime minister said the government accepted the court's decision allowing Nawaz Sharif to go abroad for treatment but questioned as who would be responsible for over 800 prisoners who had died in jails during the last ten years. He questioned: "Did anyone ever ask as how their families were living?"

He told the gathering that Pakistan would emerge as a great nation if society followed justice and humanity as two core principles on the pattern of the State of Madina.

He said the Muslims had faced downfalls in the past when they had deviated from the principles of justice and compassion to the poor, elders and orphans in society.

He viewed that an effective justice system made the people feel independent and the discriminatory laws marred the nations in the past.

He requested the incumbent Chief Justice of Pakistan Asif Saeed Khosa and his successor to make all-out efforts to restore public trust in the judicial system for what he said the government would extend all-out resources and support.

The prime minister spoke high of Murad Saeed and his political career starting from the Insaf Student Federation to a federal minister purely on merit and said the Pakistani nation needed such a passion to face the challenges.

He said the Havelian-Mansehra Motorway project was a component of the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), which would benefit both Pakistan and China.

He said the CPEC's scope had been widened from just a few roads and power projects to agriculture and skill training to enhance the agriculture yield and create job opportunities.

Moreover, besides the development of Gwadar Port, China would also relocate its industries to Pakistan, he added.

Imran Khan said after the first year in office that had been tough, the government would now focus on health and education sectors. He said the government had decided to allow duty-free import of medical equipment to encourage the construction of new hospitals.

He said the government was also working on the foreclosure laws to arrange housing loans for the poor that would boost the housing sector, besides supporting the allied 40 industries.

Murad Saeed, in his address, said the government had a strong resolve resolved for early completion of the Western Route of the CPEC.

He said the National Highway Authority had increased its earning to Rs 43 billion that would touch Rs 100 mark by end of the current government's term.

He said the ministry had recovered Rs 10.8 billion from the corrupt elements and was strictly observing the austerity drive as per the prime minister's vision. The minister announced that the NHA and Postal Services would give internship to 45,000 youth, who would later be recruited to create jobs. He said the revenue generation of the Postal Services and NHA was on increase.

Copyright Associated Press of Pakistan, 2019