RAWALPINDI: Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has announced the Safe City Project for Rawalpindi. The chief minister made this announcement during a meeting with lawmakers from Rawalpindi Division, who called on the chief minister at Punjab House on Sunday. Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, State Minister for Information Marriyum Aurangzeb, Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Sheikh Aftab Ahmed, Hamza Shahbaz and others were present. The meeting discussed public welfare programmes, development projects, Kissan Package, wheat procurement campaign, Khadim-e-Punjab Rural Roads Programme and situation of law and order. Speaking on the occasion, the CM said that the government was committed to progress and prosperity of the country, and that was why the government had unveiled a “people-friendly” budget, which would bring about economic prosperity in the country. He reiterated that transparency was the hallmark of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government. He said terrorism was on the decline in the country due to collective sacrifices of police, Rangers and armed forces. He said that the Safe City Project would also be launched in Multan, Sargodha, Gujranwala, Faisalabad and Bahawalpur for which funds had been earmarked. To provide relief to the masses during Ramazan, he said 318 sasta bazaars had been set across the province. He directed public representatives and PML-N leaders to keep their attention focused on public service. In a veiled yet apparent reference to the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Shahbaz said some elements tried to obstruct the development process by holding sit-ins and protests but they failed miserably in their “nefarious” designs. “Had such hurdles not been created, the development rate would have been much better,” he added. Referring to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), he said that the multi-billion dollar project would be a game-changer for Pakistan. Later, the interior minister briefed the meeting about the situation of law and order in the country.