TORGHAR  -  Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday said it was high-time for the nation and the State in­stitutions to join hands in making the country progress.

The prime minister said it was the responsibil­ity of the government, ju­diciary, Armed Forces and the people to act in unison for ensuring development of the country. He was ad­dressing the local elders in Torghar after laying founda­tion-stone of Torghar Bunir Highway, the Bunir-Karakar Link Tunnel and Torghar-Bunir RCC (Reinforced Ce­ment Concrete) bridge. The prime minister highlight­ed the significance of unity, hard work and dedication by the nation to make the fu­ture of Pakistan brighter.

He said Pakistan recent­ly faced financial challenges and got a staff-level agree­ment with the International Monetary Fund to avert de­fault. He mentioned in this regard the supportive role of Army Chief General Asim Munir for clinching the $3 billion deal with the global lender. He expressed confi­dence that Pakistan would soon gain a significant place in the comity of nations.

PM Sharif said Khyber Pa­khtunkhwa province was blessed with natural re­sources, however stressed the need for exploring the av­enues of development for the benefit of people. The prime minister acknowledged the sacrifices of the forefathers of the locals who donated their lands during the forma­tion of Pakistan 70 years ago.

He regretted the apathy of political leaders in the past, who neglected the area and did not make efforts to mainstream it in the journey of national development. He emphasized giving oppor­tunity to the locals to help them prosper in education­al and professional fields. He expressed concern that with­out the bridge, the locals had no other choice but to travel a distance of 250 kilometres. The construction of bridge would reduce the distance to only one kilometre. He di­rected completion of the said bridge in one year instead of the stipulated time-frame of three years and said the three infrastructure projects worth Rs 18 billion would greatly facilitate the locals. PM Shar­if announced establishment of a Danish school in the area, an educational facility proj­ect earlier launched by him in Punjab for the children from underprivileged families.