Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb said on Wednesday that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had done in two weeks what Imran Khan could not even think of in his four years rule.

In a statement, presenting a review of the two-week performance of PM Shahbaz Sharif’s government, she said that the supply of cheap goods like sugar and wheat flour had been started to the afflicted people.

Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif, she said, reduced sugar price from  Rs 85 to Rs 70 per Kg whereas 10 kg bag flour price had been cut to  Rs 400 instead of Rs 550.

She said that inflation, which had reached an all-time high in four years, had started to come down gradually.

Marriyum said that the PM had issued directives to end load shedding from May 1 and in two weeks, 20 out of 27 closed power generating units had been made operational.

She said that during past two weeks, steps were taken to supply oil and gas in record time to run power plants.

Factories that have been shut down for over a year due to technical glitches were starting to come back to life, she maintained.

The Peshawar More- New Airport Metro project, which had been lingering on for past four years, was launched and made operational within days.

Moreover, she said that preparations had been started for the feasibility of connecting the Metro from New Islamabad Airport to the motorway and Faizabad, and its extension to Bara Kahu and Rawat and construction work started of metro station on motorway.

She said that construction work of Diamir Bhasha dam has been sped up and a new deadline for its completion in 2026 had been given instead of 2029. The PM, she said also ordered preparation of feasibility of a modern hospital for treatment of local population.

Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif, she added, laid the foundation stone of sections 1 and 2 of Khuzdar-Kuchlak Highway from two to four lanes and then six lanes in the next phase.

The prime minister also announced plan for Pakistan’s most advanced technical university to train Balochistan youth, she said.

Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif also ordered for feasibility to run a metro in Quetta like Rawalpindi, Islamabad, Lahore, Multan and Karachi.

The prime minister had announced to provide assistance to the poorest 500,000 people of Balochistan through Benazir Income Support Programme, she added.

She reminded former PM Imran Khan that this was called practical service with “Pakistan Speed”.