The Prime Minister appreciated the role of political parties that extended full support on the constitutional amendments to bring peace to the country and establishment of courts. He said quick dispensation of justice through the military courts would help the country progress and develop, without any fear or threat. He said the people in Pakistan were anxious and feared about their loved ones, adding that the government was determined to bringing peace to Pakistan at all costs.
Referring to the threat from terrorism to the country, he said that the government believed in dialogue and offered those who were willing to lay down their arms, talks. However, in response, they attacked the Karachi airport. He said over 50,000 people have lost lives while the national economy has suffered losses in billions of dollars.
He said it was time for decisive steps and the operation Zarb-e-Azb was launched. He said the political and military leadership were on the same page on the issue of terrorism. The Prime Minister said the nation had to bear two tragic attacks at Wahga border and Peshawar school after the launch of the operation.
He also recalled his meeting with the Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and said both the countries had suffered at the hands of terrorism and had pledged that neither country would allow the use of its soil against the other. He said all hideouts and sanctuaries of terrorists inside Pakistan's territory had been wiped out and this had also been appreciated by the Afghan leadership. He said it was not merely a new chapter in ties with Afghanistan; it was rather a new book.
Referring to relations with India, the Prime Minister said wars are no solutions. He regretted that Pakistan's ties with India were not ideal and said he visited the neighbouring country on the invitation of the new Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, as he wanted cordial ties with all neighbours. He said it was agreed between the two prime ministers to have a meeting of their Foreign Secretaries to kick off the stalled dialogue process, however India unilaterally called off the meeting, on the pretext that Pakistani ambassador had met the Kashmiri leadership.
The Prime Minister said the incidents of firing along the Line of Control from the other side seemed to be an attempt to mar the bilateral relations. Recalling his talks with the then Indian Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee, the Lahore Declaration and initiation of the Pakistan-India Bus Service, he said there was a mutual desire to improve relations amicably and said this spirit should continue.
The Prime Minister recalled his meetings with the leadership of Bahrain and said they specially lauded the hard work, dedication and contribution of the Pakistani community that had been playing a key role in the development and prosperity of Bahrain. He said the Pakistani community living in Bahrain was well appreciated by the leadership and people of Bahrain and said Pakistan too desired stronger bilateral ties. He said both Pakistan and Bahrain were keen to further strengthen their relations in all facets for the prosperity of their peoples.
The Prime Minister shared with the expatriate community the situation back home and said the power shortages in Pakistan was a serious issue and his government was taking effective measures to improve the situation. He said power shortages in Pakistan were negatively impacting its exports and the national economy. He regretted that no government in the past took the issue seriously and the country continued to plunge into darkness. He said with the support of the Chinese government, a number of new power projects were in the pipeline.
Sharif said that Pakistan's economic indicators were improving day by day and there was an unprecedented improvement. Exports were growing and manufacturing sector was witnessing a remarkable progress, he added. He said the benefit of lower petroleum prices has been passed on to people resulting in cheap prices of food stuff, travel, fertilisers, manufacturing while all other sectors too were benefiting from it.
The Prime Minister said that Pakistan's forex reserves had increased, stock market was performing well and all other sectors were showing improvement. He expressed the confidence that the government would be able to meet its commitments of ending the power shortage crisis within its tenure. He said the government was endeavouring to run a clean and transparent system of governance. The Transparency International too had acknowledged this fact, he added.
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif also recalled the historic decision of initiating the Lahore-Islamabad motorway in 1991 and said work would soon begin on the Lahore-Karachi motorway. He said work on the China Trade Corridor from Khunjerab to Gwadar Port would transform the entire era. He also pledged to meet the shortfall in supply of natural gas and said work on a gas pipeline from Iran would be completed while LNG terminals were being constructed at Port Qasim to help meet the energy shortfall. He said over 10,000 MW electricity would be produced from Bhasha, Bunji and Dasu dams, while work on coal-based power projects would help overcome the energy shortfall.