Giving a warning to land grabbers, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif told them on Saturday that that no leniency would be shown towards them.
Addressing a ceremony in Sialkot, Khawaja Asif said that those occupying state lands must vacate them; otherwise, their structures will be demolished.
He accused the last PTI government of stopping work on development projects initiated by the PML-N government when Shehbaz Sharif was the Punjab chief minister. “The PTI government should have allowed the work to go on by rising above political differences,” he added.
Now, he said, when Maryam Nawaz was the provincial chief minister, work on development schemes was underway in every city of the province.
Again referring to the PTI government, Asif said that at that time, the country’s progress came to a halt. “Tall claims were made. But nothing concrete was done.”
Khawaja Asif said no other province could match the pace of development projects in Punjab. He thanked Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif for approving funds for the new teaching hospital.
He said that during the previous PML-N) government, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had approved the project in 2016, but the past governments delayed it for nearly a decade. Due to the delay, the project cost increased from Rs 3-4 billion to around Rs 9 billion, causing a loss of billions of rupees to the national exchequer. He termed the delay “criminal negligence.”
Khawaja Asif said several development projects were underway in Sialkot, including the redesigning of Nullah Bhed, from where around 7,000 tons of waste had already been removed. He said that in the past, during flood situations, one floor of each house was submerged in water, but now steps are being taken to resolve the problems on a permanent basis.
He said restoration and beautification work at historical sites, including Iqbal Manzil and Sialkot Fort, was also in progress, while the district complex was being shifted to Eminabad Road.
The defence minister said Rs 18 billion Ring Road project had also been approved through the efforts of Muhammad Manshaullah Butt and Chaudhry Faisal Ikram, which will start from Sambrial and connect various highways to Daska Road, Eimanabad Road and Pasrur Road. He said that this elevated road project will be completed in the next two years.
Khawaja Asif said that new development projects will be included in the upcoming budget as well because this is not the era when development works were frozen and only claims and propaganda were made, saying the current government believed in practical work instead of mere claims and propaganda. He said that real work is being done on the ground and he also appreciates the cooperation of Sialkot Chamber in this journey.
The minister stressed that development projects should not be politicized as delays result in national losses. He clarified that the administration will take action if illegal encroachments, factories and houses located on the banks of drains are not removed on their own.
Muhammad Asif also laid the foundation stone of a new 300-bed teaching hospital at Allama Iqbal Teaching Hospital Sialkot which will be constructed at a cost of Rs9 billion.
The ceremony was attended by Provincial Minister for Labour and Human Resources Muhammad Manshaullah Butt, Provincial Health Minister Khawaja Salman Rafique, Member Punjab Assembly (MPA) Chaudhry Faisal Ikram, and Deputy Commissioner Saba Asghar Ali.
