TAUNSA/ISLAMABAD  -  Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday while recounting Saudi Arabia’s unconditional financial and diplomatic support to Pakistan warned that any venom-spitting against such a brotherly country was an unforgivable crime and called for the national unity to counter such anti-state elements.

The prime minister stated this while addressing the inauguration of the Restoration of Kachhi Canal damaged by 2022 floods. He said whether it was the Kashmir issue, the United Nations or the UN Security Council, Saudi Arabia always acted as Pakistan’s advocate and benefactor, as the Kingdom also bailed out Pakistan recently to seek IMF program.

“Despite this, such venom is an unforgivable crime. I as the prime minister of Pakistan want to announce that the nation will break any hand trying to undermine the Pakistan-Saudi friendship. This is not a joke. The allegation is beyond understanding. The largest national interest is being “slaughtered” to serve the short-term political interest,” he remarked after inaugurating the project that will irrigate over 715,000 acres of land in Balochistan and revive life in the area turned barren after the floods.

The prime minister told the ceremony also attended by federal ministers Attaullah Tarar, Ahsan Iqbal, Awais Leghari and Dr Musaddik Malik, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, and Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfaraz Bugti, that during the last 77 years, Saudi Arabia attached no strings or preconditions to its support to Pakistan and the current leadership had also asked its administration to invest in Pakistan as MoUs worth billions of dollars had already been signed.

Commenting on a statement by the spouse of PTI founder regarding Saudi Arabia, he said: “There can be no animosity to Pakistan bigger than this” and explained that such people were naive to the magnitude of the damage through their “venomous” words. Prime Minister Shehbaz recalled the Kingdom’s support to Pakistan after it carried out the nuclear tests in 1998 in the form of a free-of-charge oil facility as well as financial support. He told the gathering that the feasibility study of the Kachhi Canal Project was started in 1998 during Nawaz Sharif’s tenure and was completed in his second tenure after suffering a lot during Pervez Musharraf time.

He appreciated the WAPDA and Minister for Planning Ahsan Iqbal and their respective team for accomplishing the repair project and assured the federal government’s all-out support for the second phase. Prime Minister Shehbaz also appreciated the Balochistan chief minister for reviving the merit-based order and launching the solarisation of tube-wells.

Similarly, he also spoke highly for the Punjab Chief Minister for launching the project of a cancer hospital, free tractor scheme for farmers to bring about the agricultural revolution and other initiatives in the education and health sectors.

Earlier, in her address, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz said the canal project would bring about prosperity in Balochistan besides enhancing coordination and closeness among the provinces.

She said the credit for all mega public welfare projects like motorways, youth scholarships, modern transport facilities including Orange Line, Metro or Speedo buses and student bikes went to the PML-N governments.

She said that having removed the risks of defaults, the PML-N government successfully revived the economy as the stock exchange was breaking records, inflation was down to 7% and remittances were on the rise. Coming to the PTI’s call for the march, the Punjab chief minister said the people were not paying heed to their calls which had been flopping one after the other.

Criticising the statement by PTI founder’s spouse regarding Saudi Arabia, she said it wasn’t mere terrorism disrupting the progress rather the acts of attacking the other province by KP chief minister were also “very dangerous and beyond understanding.”

Balochistan CM Balochistan Sarfaraz Bugti said Punjab always welcomed not only the people from Balochistan but all ethnicities for employment or education and those carrying out the targeted killings in his province were the terrorists killing Pakistanis. He told the prime minister that the next 100-kilometer second phase of the canal needed no lined canal as it would require huge funds for construction as well as repair. He said the project could be completed within three to four months if the federal government extended support.

Minister for Planning Ahsan Iqbal said that the federal government was prioritising Balochistan’s uplift through an enhanced allocation of funds and share in the development portfolio. However, those who were disrupting peace in the province were not friends but foes of Balochistan and agents of foreign forces, desiring to fight a proxy war like Afghanistan. He said the government was pursuing the agenda to employ youth and provide connectivity with Balochistan.

He told the gathering that during the previous government, all projects in Gwadar were put to a halt and were revived by the PML-N government including the completion of port dredging to convert it back to the deep sea port costing Rs4 billion.

Ahsan Iqbal said the government had formulated a five-year development program to be unveiled by the prime minister on November 28. Minister for Water Resources Musaddik Malik said the prime minister was pursuing a vision to prioritise employment and reducing inflation. He said the Kachhi Canal was not mere a project to irrigate land but an initiative to revive life in the desert and usher in a new era of prosperity.

Lt. Gen. (Retd) Sajjad Ghani said as per the prime minister’s directives, the initial phase of the Kachhi canal had been completed in 45 days to irrigate around 715,000 acres of land in Balochistan.