MULTAN: Prime Minister Imran Khan today (Monday) has asserted that the establishment of South Punjab secretariat was a step towards a new beginning, vowing for a separate province in Punjab.
“As of now, the allocated development funds would be spent on the prosperity of the people of this neglected region,” the Prime Minister announced while addressing a groundbreaking ceremony of South Punjab Secretariat.
The ceremony was attended by Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi, ministers Khusru Bakhtiar, Fakhar Imam, Zartaj Gul, provincial ministers and other high officials.
The prime minister said they had also decided that South Punjab would get its due job quota according to its size and population. “All the issues of the area would be resolved in the secretariat,” he added.
The premier said his government was taking steps to uplift the backward and poor areas of Pakistan, including South Punjab. “No attention was given in past for the development of these areas,” he added.
Criticizing self-centered policies of former rulers towards the South Punjab people, the prime minister shared that he had entered into politics after witnessing that a small segment, a ruling elite was enjoying all powers and impunity.
“Laws have been different for them as they frequently indulged in corruption, deals and NROs. No law of the land was applicable on them. They lived in palatial houses abroad which they had purchased through money laundering,” he added.
About the deprivation and poverty of South Punjab, the prime minister said he brought Chief Minister Usman Buzar so that he could implement his vision over the area. He said he wanted a person who preferred to live and die in Pakistan.
About other achievements, PM Imran said that even the richest countries of the world could not afford to roll out health insurance to all of their populations. “Chief Minister Punjab had been striving to ensure health insurance to all residents of the province by the end of this year,” he added.
About Islamophobia in the West, the prime minister said that he would prove that his strategy would be successful in countering the issue.
With the cooperation of heads of Islamic countries and through a joint approach, they would go to the European Union and the UN asking them that they could not hurt sentiments of 1.25 billion Muslims in the garb of freedom of expression.
