LAHORE – Punjab Chief Minister Mian Shahbaz Sharif on Saturday said the rulers in the Centre had jeopardised the future of the country and people must get rid of them to save Pakistan, adding that the incapable federal government had pushed Pakistan into darkness.
The chief minister said the corrupt rulers of Islamabad resorted to corruption and mismanagement instead of solving the problems of the country. He called for a powerful accountability system in the country, so that the national wealth could be retrieved from those who plundered the resources.
Shahbaz said the young generation had an immense talent to change the lot of the nation and put the country on the road to progress and prosperity.
He was addressing the prize distribution ceremony of fourth provincial level competitions of essay writing, debate, sports, and art and craft at the Chief Minister’s Secretariat, where he announced provision of laptops to the students getting distinguished positions in extracurricular activities.
Commenting on the existing political situation, Shahbaz regretted that people as nation did not learn any lesson from the debacle of East Pakistan. In Balochistan, the Baloch chieftains had announced their association with Pakistan, but instead, they were being rewarded through the scourge of missing persons, murders and lawlessness, Shahbaz added.
He reminded the audience that Balochistan was burning today and people there were raising slogans of independence, which was a matter of great concern.
He stressed the need for making joint efforts in order to bring the country out of hopelessness and bewilderment.
“If we did not change our course of action as a nation, then no one would care for us,” Shahbaz warned.
He said former prime minister Nawaz Sharif had transformed the country into an atomic power and made it stronger, but unfortunately, Pakistan was still holding a begging bowl for aid, as he called for learning how to live within the means and resources.
The chief minister said once the countrymen decided to spurn the foreign aid, end corruption and bring usurpers before the court of law, Pakistan would be transformed into a country as envisioned by Quaid-e-Azam and Allama Iqbal.
He was pleased to see that the students from other provinces, including Azad Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan, had also attended the ceremony.
Shahbaz said the Punjab government had accorded full protocol and honour to the distinguished students by offering them to stay at the Governor’s House and the State Guest House where only dictators and foreign dignitaries used to stay. He said the country was full of precious human resource but no recognition was given to it since the inception of the country.
He pointed out that the credit went to Nawaz Sharif-led PML-N, which not only recognised the importance of the human resources, but also took practical steps to further galvanise their innate capabilities.
The chief minister said the students attaining distinguished positions in various examinations were being given encouragement and incentives, while those displaying prowess in essay and debate competitions had also been given hefty prizes.
Later, the chief minister distributed cash prizes of Rs 120 million among the position holders. He also ordered provision of laptops before the concluding of the ceremony to the male and female students obtaining first position in the essay and debate competitions.