LAHORE - Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif has said the government of the PML-N has successfully steered the country out of darkness of two decades.

“The nation will always remember this historical accomplishment of the PML-N. Its efforts to complete energy projects will be written in history in golden words,” the chief minister said while talking to a delegation of party representatives in London. He said that work on energy projects and other development projects had been expedited. He said, “Our government has set up many power plants from its own resources, while China, being a great friend, has also cooperated a great deal in this regard. CPEC is a great project for development and prosperity of Pakistan. It is a game changer and after completion it will not only change destiny of Pakistan but the entire region.”

The chief minister said that development projects were being completed swiftly under the CPEC, which had opened doors of foreign investment into Pakistan. He said Chinese investment of billions of rupees in Pakistan had created huge employment opportunities for Pakistanis. He said energy projects were being taken forward rapidly under CPEC with an investment of $36 billion. “With this unprecedented investment of China, projects to get electricity from coal, solar, water and other sources have been initiated,” he said.

Shehbaz said when the PML-N came into power, the energy crisis had become very intriguing in the country. He said poverty, unemployment and energy crisis were gifts of former corrupt rulers who filled their pockets but did not pay any attention to end electricity shortage. Had the former rulers paid attention to energy crisis, he said, the country would have come out of darkness. “We are confronting former corrupt rulers on one hand and those doing negative politics on the other. The nation will never forgive the people who are pushing the country into darkness by hindering progress,” he said. He said that people of Pakistan wanted solution to their problems and prosperity of the country and same was the agenda of the government of the PML-N. The defeated elements have tried to halt the journey of development through sit-ins and caused undue delay in energy projects, he said.

The chief minister said that people had rejected the sit-ins and this was the proof that they did not want chaos in the country.

Separately, Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif strongly condemned the terrorist attack on a church on Zarghoon Road in Quetta. He expressed deep sorrow and grief over the loss of precious human lives in the blast. He offered his condolences to families of the deceased and prayed for quick recovery of the injured.

The chief minister appreciated the appropriate action of security forces and said they had foiled nefarious design of the attackers. Christians living in Pakistan are our brothers and this is the profane act, he added. He further said that those attacking innocent people are enemies of humanity and not entitled to any exemption. He said that these coward activities of terrorists could not shatter nation's strong commitment to fight against terrorism.

Also, Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday expressed grief over the sad demise of former federal minister Mian Muhammad Zaman, father of provincial minister Mian Yawar Zaman. In his condolence message, the chief minister expressed his sympathy and condolences to the grieving family and prayed that Allah Almighty may blessed the departed soul with eternal peace and give patience to his family to bear this irreversible loss with courage.