Lahore, December 13: Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar Saturday said that Quaid PMLN Muhammad Nawaz Sharif is the architect of modern Pakistan and that development projects across the country stand as a testament to his leadership.
He said that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) promoted politics of hatred and character assassination, while the slogan of change brought destruction to the country.
Addressing the book launching ceremony of senior journalist Muhammad Nawaz Raza’s book “Mard-e-Ahan Muhammad Nawaz Sharif” at the Lahore Press Club, Attaullah Tarar said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, the country has once again embarked on the path of development and no one will be allowed to obstruct this journey.
Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Reforms Ahsan Iqbal, Federal Minister for National Food Security Rana Tanveer Hussain, Mujib-ur-Rehman Shami, Arshad Ansari, Sajjad Mir, Naveed Chaudhry, Hamid Dogar, Rana Kausar, Rehman Bhutta, Amir-ul-Azeem, Salman Ghani, Abid Tehami and others were also present on the occasion.
The Information Minister said that his association with journalism and journalists spans many years, and it was his good fortune to be among senior journalists who have served Pakistan for decades through their writings. He paid tribute to the author Muhammad Nawaz Raza and veteran journalists including the late Irfan Siddiqui, the late Khawaja Farooq Saeed and Dr Ajmal Niazi for their role in promoting positive journalism.
Attaullah Tarar said that public service has always been the hallmark of Nawaz Sharif’s politics. Whether it is economic revival or national development, history bears witness to the fact that Nawaz Sharif and his family introduced major economic reforms, launched landmark development projects and promoted industrial growth. He said that projects such as motorways, hospitals and welfare initiatives across the country carry the stamp of Nawaz Sharif’s leadership.
He said that the Nawaz Sharif family’s journey of public service spans several decades, noting that Nawaz Sharif’s father established one of Asia’s largest steel mills in the 1960s and 1970s, promoting industrial growth at the time. He added that after 1985, a new era of development and service began, and wherever one looks, development projects bear Nawaz Sharif’s imprint.
The minister said that the foundation stone of Rawalpindi Institute of Cardiology was laid during Nawaz Sharif’s tenure, while institutions like cardiology hospitals, PKLI, motorways and even the achievement of nuclear capability were made possible due to his visionary leadership. He said that over 1,000 successful liver transplants have been performed at PKLI, adding that without such hospitals, patients would have had nowhere to go.
Attaullah Tarar said that Nawaz Sharif promoted politics of tolerance and civility. He recalled that when the PTI founder was injured after falling from a crane during the 2013 election campaign, Nawaz Sharif immediately convened a meeting, cancelled rallies and personally visited the hospital to express solidarity.
He said that while political opposition has always existed in Pakistan, no one in the past had written letters to the IMF asking it not to assist the country or wished for national default. He said that PTI sowed seeds of hatred for personal interests, attacked institutions and caused damage to the country and its economy.
The Information Minister said that politics of hatred and division devastated Khyber Pakhtunkhwa over the past 12 years, adding that not a single hospital like PKLI was built there during this period. He said that PTI has no performance to showcase.
He said that under the leadership of Nawaz Sharif and Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, Pakistan has been put back on the path of progress. He added that economic indicators have improved and international institutions are acknowledging the country’s economic recovery.
Attaullah Tarar said that the journey of development under Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s leadership will continue and no one will be allowed to derail it