Daily Times

Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mehmood Qureshi on Saturday said that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf was making further progress on establishment of South Punjab province as its formation was part of party’s manifesto.

“On the instructions of Prime Minister and Party Chairman Imran Khan, I wrote a letter to the leadership of both parties, PML N, and PPP, inviting them to come, sit and discuss the formation of the province,” said FM Qureshi. He added “so far, no response has been received from either party. I am making further progress for the establishment of South Punjab Province soon,” hinted Qureshi in a statement issued by Bab ul Quraish, local media cell of Qureshi family. Both the parties, PML N and PPP, did not took any step for the people of South Punjab during their respective regimes, Qureshi mentioned.

“If PML-N wanted, it could had done a lot for South Punjab during its tenure. The PML-N could not even form a secretariat in the province during its tenure,” Qureshi maintained. “We have laid the foundation of South Punjab province by establishment of South Punjab Secretariat, which no one can roll back,” the FM claimed.

The foreign minister remarked that “with the establishment of South Punjab Secretariat, a new era of development has commenced. The secretaries of various departments are performing duties here to solve problems of people and similarly, the journey of development is in full swing.” About Opposition, he remarked that it was unable to digest the development of country. He categorically stated “Today, I would like to make it clear once again that the people have given Prime Minister Imran Khan the mandate of the government for five years and the government would not only complete the ongoing term but it will also form next government.” “Despite the severe complications triggered from coronavirus pandemic, the results of our government’s economic policies have started yielding results,” the FM stated. The policies of PTI’s government were being appreciated globally, said Qureshi. He, however, added that inflation was a huge challenge for the incumbent government. The government was struggling hard against inflation and soon it would be able to control it. Similarly, he reiterated that eradication of corruption from the country and return of looted wealth was the top mission of Prime Minister Imran Khan over which the later was working sincerely, added Shah Mahmood Qureshi. “During three and a half year of PTI’s tenure, no corruption case of any government official surfaced. Prime Minister Imran Khan believes in indiscriminate action to eradicate corruption. The PTI government wants a corruption-free system. And this is possible only if the ruler of country is honest and sincere. Prime Minister Imran Khan is striving for development of the country with sincerity and honesty,” stated Qureshi.

The foreign minister remarked that tough decisions had been taken for betterment of the country and the nation which would have far-reaching consequences. About local bodies elections, he observed that PTI strongly believes in devolution of power to lower level. “The new local government (LG) system in Punjab will not only provide relief to the people but also solve their problems at the grass root level.”