KARACHI: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif visited the mausoleum of Father of the Nation Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah where he paid his respects.
Shehbaz Sharif was accompanied by Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Ahsan Iqbal and others as he landed at the Faisal Airbase in Karachi where he was welcomed by Chief Minister Sindh Syed Murad Ali Shah and local leaders of the PML-N and MQM-P.
This is the first visit of Shehbaz Sharif to the Mazar-e-Quaid after he took the oath as the prime minister on April 11. The prime minister laid a wreath at the mausoleum and also penned his comments in the visitors’ book.
In his remarks, the prime minister said he was there to pay tribute to the great Quaid for his great struggle to create a separate homeland and show his respects to him.
“I am sorry that we couldn’t follow the path you had expected from us and this disappointed your soul. I make a pledge that I will try my best to serve my countrymen and live up to your expectations,” the prime minister said mentioning him below as “Khadim-e-Pakistan.”
He was accompanied by PML-N leaders Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Ahsan Iqbal and Marriyum Aurangzeb, MQM leaders Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui and Aminul Haq, and JUI-F leader Muhammad Ali Durrani. Chief Minister of Sindh Syed Murad Ali Shah was also present there.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s remarks in the visitors’ book at Mazar-e-Quaid. Khadam-e-Pakistan and his team will burn the midnight oil to improve the lives of Pakistani, address the challenges our nation faces today, and fulfil Quaid-e-Azam’s vision for Pakistan. pic.twitter.com/wHPjwWcGuV
— Marriyum Aurangzeb (@Marriyum_A) April 13, 2022
Earlier, the prime minister landed in Karachi on a day-long visit where he would meet Sindh chief minister Murad Ali Shah and hold a consultative meeting on development projects in Karachi. On his arrival at the port city, Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah received the prime minister and other leaders of the allied parties.
PPP’s Manzoor Wassan, Nasir Hussain Shah, Mir Shabbir Bijarani, Mukesh Kumar Chawla, Gayan Chand Israni, Zia Shah, Fayaz Ali Butt, Awais Qadir Shah, Shehla Raza, Ismail Rahoo, Jam Khan Shoro, Murtaza Wahab were also present on the occasion.
Earlier in the day, as soon as the reports of Shehbaz Sharif’s visit was conveyed to the provincial authorities, teams from Sindh Solid Waste Management Board (SSWMB) reached the mausoleum for cleanliness drive. The roads leading to the VIP gates of the Mazar-e-Quaid were cleaned by the SSWMB teams.
Meanwhile, PM Shehbaz Sharif will also visit Chief Minister House in Sindh, five years after his brother and former PM Nawaz Sharif visited the place in 2017. Since 2017, neither Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi nor PM Imran Khan visited the CM House during their tenures.