Addressing the passing out parade of the 48th STP batch of the Police Service of Pakistan, Shehbaz Sharif lavished the service with praise over its role in Pakistan’s struggle against terrorism.
By Zarghona Shahid
ISLAMABAD: Saudi Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman will soon visit Pakistan to announce a USD12 billion investment for the establishment of an oil refinery in Pakistan, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said Friday. He was speaking at the passing out parade of the 48th STP batch of the Police Service of Pakistan.
The PM paid rich tributes to the police, asserting that men and women of the service have played a vital role in Pakistan’s struggle against terrorism, and said their sacrifices will not go in vain.
Sharif made particular note of how the daughters of the country are advancing in every field and how they are playing an important role in the development of the country.
The head of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) digressed towards the painfully slow pace of socioeconomic development in the country and made a passionate appeal for all Pakistanis to come together for the betterment of Pakistan, or else our next generation will not forgive us.
The PM related that a Saudi Development Fund team recently visited Pakistan and in their meetings with Pakistani officials, complained that they had proposed multiple projects in Pakistan, but all their advances were rebuffed by the previous government.
One of the projects was to establish a hospital in Pakistan as a gift to the people of Pakistan. Other proposed projects were investments on soft terms. But all of these were ignored by the previous government.
The president of Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PML-N), one of the dozen partners in the PDM, said he apologized for the delays the proposed Saudi projects had faced, and expedited their approval, completing the paperwork within 48 hours. This, he said, was how nations develop and prosper.
The PM said that the previous government would claim that they ignored those projects for the reason of fearing they may end up being hauled up by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), but added this is not how nations progress.
Sharif said anything can be accomplished if there is vision, will, and trust, and cited Dubai as a great example of this. He celebrated Pakistan human and natural resources as great assets.
The PM said China and Saudi Arabia are Pakistan’s all-weather friends who have always stood by Pakistan. He also mentioned the United States as a friendly country and asserted that there is no reason to ruin bilateral ties with the sole superpower.
The refinery investment was first proposed by the Saudis back in 2019, but it failed to take off after the government of the time failed to make any headway toward its execution.
He lamented that even after 75 years of independence, our children ask us, “Where is the Qaid’s Pakistan?” He bemoaned that country far behind Pakistan in the development progression has overtaken us while we are lagging behind.
The Prime Minister added that he took up the stalled projects with the Saudi authorities during his recent visit to that country and wholeheartedly apologized for the delays because those projects were for the welfare of Pakistan.
He said that the Saudi crown prince reiterated the brotherly bonds between the two countries, and said he was ready to do anything for the people of Pakistan.
The refinery investment was first proposed by the Saudis back in 2019, but it failed to take off after the government of the time failed to make any headway toward its execution.
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